Stolen Lives
by Bubbahotek
Summary: After Ron's selection into the Pro Football hall of fame. He sits down with a writer to tell the difinitive story of what really happened to Middleton in the dark days following the failed Lorwardian invasion. I do not own Kim Possible or other Characters
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I have had this plot bunnie burning a whole in my psyche for quite some time now. I've been wanting to write a Ron football story and a post Apocalypse Middleton story. What happened after Graduation, how did people deal with being homeless. Who rose from the ashes, who vanished, who preyed upon the weak. I think my dark vision of Middleton will disturb many people. That is not my intent. Only to tell a good yarn. **

**I am a fan of American football, but it is not an obsession with me. I spent much time trying to learn the jargon and what actually goes on during a game. The kind of things that don't make it on to television or are easily found in books. I hope I can recreate the atmosphere of a good high school football game with some integrity.**

**As always I do not own Kim Possible, nor do I own any of the brand names or colleges, NFL teams or products mentioned in this story.**

**This story will start out as rated 'T' but may move to a 'M' depending on how mature I feel the subject matter may become. I hope you will all enjoy the story. Write a review, receive a reply.**

**Bubba**

* * *

The red and white ESPN A Google Media Company logo flashed on the large flat panel television. An attractive man in a gold sports jacket appeared on the screen. He clasped his hands in front of him and flashed a large toothy grin at the camera, "Hello, and welcome to our Pro Football Hall of Fame special. Our show will cover the NFL Hall of Fame class of 2049. 

Video played of a African American lineman as the voice of the commentator named off the five players and one old time named to the Hall of Fame in Canton, OH.

"_Demetrius Alverez the eight time pro bowl line backer who played ten seasons with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens."_

"Man, I remember when he hit me in the Fiesta bowl." A voice called out.

The old man turned to the voice, "It couldn't have been that hard. You woke up didn't ya?"

There was a burst of laughter from the guests as the show continued showing highlights of the different players that were selected to go into the Hall of Fame. Finally they reached the one everyone in the room living room wanted to see. The audience gathered in the room exploded in applause as his name was read. The old man swallowed a lump in his throat as they showed a very old picture of him in his football uniform.

A young auburn hair girl climbed up into the old man's lap as he sat in his recliner watching the show. She tilted her head trying to figure out who the picture of the blonde headed young man was, "Pa pa, is that you?"

"It was once, a very long time ago." The old man said, his voice cracking from emotion. He pulled the lever to recline the chair. The little girl giggled as the back of the chair reclined and the footrest popped out.

"_Selected this year by the Seniors Committee was running back Ronald Stoppable. Who played off and on for six seasons with four different teams, helping each to win the league's top prize the Super Bowl, as well as earning 4 Super Bowl MVP's. Primarily known for coaching the Miami Hurricane's to 6 national titles and countless ACC Championships. Ronald Doron Stoppable, the Semitic Stallion…_

A teenage girl with black hair walked closer to the television. She smiled at her grandpa and winked, "You were cute before you got old."

"Ashley!" Her aunt scolded from another part of the large family room.

"_Ron Stoppable's football career began in his senior year at Middleton High School..."_

The teenage girl rolled her eyes, "I wasn't saying anything bad..."

The old man chuckled, "Annie, let the girl be."

A young black man pointed at the television, "Coach you only played 1 year of high school ball?"

The old man turned to his star wide receiver, "I would have played more but I was...occupied." He said as he fought down a smile.

"_The previous two years were spent on the Middleton High Cheer Squad as the Mad Dog Mascot..." _

The old man winced as he muttered under his breath, "They could have left that part out..."

The room exploded into laughter as they watched an old video of a boy wearing a home made dogs mask dancing at center court of a basketball game. Another voice called out, "They're kidding ain't they coach?"

The old man smiled sheepishly, "I was trying to catch the eye of a certain young lady at the time."

"God, mother...I still don't see what you saw in that woman." Annie Possible said with a frown.

He started to scold her but decided not too. He didn't want to start an argument in front his current and former players. Not to mention the University trustee's, alumni and corporate boosters. He turned his attention back towards the television and sighed, _"Kim really needed to spend more time with these girls."_

"_...next Colorado Senator and Presidential hopeful Kimberly Ann Possible will share with us her feelings about the selection of her special friend, coach Ron Stoppable."_

The old man closed his eyes, a creeping sadness and a sense of foreboding overcame him. He wished that Brick Flagg wasn't the Governor of Colorado. He wished Senator Harley Arbuckle was still alive. He wished that Brick hadn't named Kim to serve out his term, when the old man died. He wished Kim would have stayed in Europe.

Senator Kim Possible went to Washington and discovered what a screwed up, corrupt government was in power and decided to take it upon herself to clean things up. Ron sighed, _"Old woman has got to learn to let the kids start taking care of things."_

He pulled the leaver to right the chair, "You have to get down now honey." He said softly to the girl.

"Awwwwwwww"

The old man waited for the girl to slide to the floor before getting up, _"Might as well make the boosters happy, or they're going to start calling for my head again."_

"Hey Tom, how's it going." He said to a portly gentleman who was clad in plaid slacks and a very loud teal sport coat.

The two men shook hands, "Congratulations Coach. You know it would really be sweet if you can get us another National Championship to go along with your hall of fame selection."

"Well, we're in a good position for that." He told the man confidently.

The old man walked around the room making small talk and patting boosters on the shoulders. He glanced to his left and saw his wife holding court with the other wives. He smiled, _"Ahhhhhhh, always the queen bee."_

He heard the sound of a familiar voice calling his name, "Hey Ron!"

"They call me Coach or Old Man here." He told the very tall and overweight African American man.

"You ain't ever coached me and I'm older than you." The old man said as he motioned for him to come closer to him. He crossed the large family room to see him as the man's knees were shot from too many seasons of professional football.

He smiled as he took the man's hand, "Duane, thanks for speaking up for me with the Seniors Committee."

The old man shook his head, "Man, if you wouldn't have lost those two seasons…"

"I know, I know…How's the knee?" He asked hoping to change the subject away from the missing two seasons.

"Plastic and titanium, both of em'." He told him.

His eyebrows shot up at the news, "Both?"

The old black man nodded, "Yea, the doctor said wasn't anything left of em'. How's your knee?"

"A little arthritis in the right one and the left is pretty good." He lied. Although having avoided major injuries in his football playing days, his twilight years were plagued with aches and pains. Especially in his knees.

The man looked around the room conspiratorially. Making sure he wouldn't be over heard by anyone else and whispered, "Man, your dick still get hard?"

The old man looked around and winked, "If I get three days notice and have the pills in the medicine cabinet…yea."

The two old friends chuckled at their lame attempt at locker room humor. Ron sighed, "Man, we are old if that's the best we can do these days."

The show came back on. He turned his attention back to see his old childhood friend being interviewed.

"_So you and Coach Stoppable have been lifelong friends…"_ The man asked.

An older red headed woman smiled as she nodded, _"Oh yes, we go way back, back to Pre-K as a matter of fact_."

The old man frowned, _"Kim's teeth are way too white. She's going to run for President…damn."_

"_So you still contend that you and Coach Stoppable used to save the world routinely, from evil mad scientists and….aliens?"_ The man said with just a note of condescension creeping into his voice.

The old man's wife handed him a cup of punch, "She better not answer that." She muttered.

Coach Stoppable took the cup, nodded and whispered, "They're starting to tear her apart already."

"…_Oh it just wasn't mad scientists and aliens. We opposed oppression and social injustice where ever we found it."_ Kim said, as she made sure to continue smiling for the camera.

"So you claim that Coach Stoppable used to help you…perform these random acts of good deeds?"

"_Well it was mostly me. I'd get a call from our young friend Wade Load, and then I'd get a hold of Ron…"_

"Quit talking about yourself and start talking about Dad. It's his day…" Annie Possible screamed at the television.

The man continued to question her, _"So you still claim that the earth was invaded by aliens in 2007 and it wasn't just a long dormant volcano erupting as was reported by the Federal Government?"_

"She's still so angry at her." His wife whispered.

Coach Stoppable nodded to his wife before scolding his daughter, "Annie…That's enough."

"_Oh yes, it was aliens. I was there." _

One of Coach Stoppable's players was laughing at the red head on television, "Coach, you really fight aliens?"

The old man smiled, "The Federal Government says I fought a volcano. Always believe the Federal Government…" The old man then muttered under his breath, "Even if it takes them three months to think up a highly implausible story, to explain away all the death and destruction."

"…_Our thanks to Colorado Senator Kimberly Possible for her fanciful tales about growing up with Hall of Fame running back Ronald Stoppable."_

Coach Stoppable lifted an eyebrow, _"Well they didn't talk much about football. They were much too busy trying to make Kim look like a fool. The woman just won't learn. Politics are stupid and you can't fix stupid."_

He felt a tugging at his knee. He looked down to see his grandson Andrew, "Grandpa, what was your favorite football game you ever played in?"

The television was turned off as the segment about the old man was over. He leaned down and picked up his grandson, "My favorite game, I ever played in? Hmmmmm…well…"

The room quieted down in order to hear the old man's answer. Coach Stoppable made his way back to his recliner, "Well, I would have to say it was back on Senior Day in 2007. It was the last time I ever took the field in a Middleton High School uniform. It was also a day I knew my mother was very proud of me."

"_You had a mother?"_ The boy exclaimed in astonishment.

The room laughed, with many people voicing the same question. The old man smiled, "Yes, yes, I had a mother. If she were alive today she would be your Great Grandma Stoppable."

The old man's wife walked up behind the chair and took off his Hurricane's baseball cap and kissed his bald head, "Your mom and dad were always proud of you."

The old man grinned, "True…they always said they were but I never really felt I did anything to make them proud."

One of Coach Stoppable's younger players spoke up, "Why did you think that?"

"Oh, the times were complicated back then." He said deflecting the question as best he could.

"Because he wasted all his time following my hair brained mother all over the place." Annie Possible said bitterly.

Coach Stoppable winced, "Well, that was part of it. Your mother was always so confident and assertive. I was much the opposite. Still she was my best friend then as well as now. ..I took up football to impress her after we started dating."

The boy felt he knew what was coming next and wrinkled his nose, "No yucky stuff. I just want to hear about the game."

The other guests laughed and agreed, "No yucky stuff Coach…"

Coach Stoppable smirked at his guests, "Well this is part of that. Back then I was not particularly brave or athletic. So I never really excelled at anything that a boy would consider important, like football."

The large group in the living room burst into applause, "GO CAIN'S!" They began to cheer.

Once the room was settled, Coach Stoppable continued his story.

"So if you don't do anything particularly well it's always a surprise when you find something your good at. I was very good at running away. I ran from bullies, I ran from evil doers, I even ran away from Garden Gnomes." He said with a wink as his grandson shivered. He too was afraid of the ugly ceramic creatures.

"Man, those things are creepy." Another player said before he noticed that his friends were looking at him in disbelief. "Well they are…"

Coach Stoppable chuckled, "So anyway, I decided to try out for quarterback of the high school football team. Having never played before it was going to be a daunting task to not only make the team but be the quarterback…"

He paused for a moment, weighing in his mind if he should mention Kim's battle suit or not. He decided against it, "So I made the team and was made quarterback. After we won our first two games it was decided I was a better running back. Because of all my experience at running away, they said I was a natural."

A hand went up, "Hold on you guys won the first two games of the season as the quarterback and they moved you?"

Coach Stoppable squirmed in his chair, "Well…there were reasons…"

"What reason, man you guys were smokin'." A man called out.

His mouth hung open as he tried to think of a reason. His wife seeing his distress quickly came to his rescue, "He was left handed back then."

Football players not being the smartest of God's creations all nodded their heads and the old man could hear mutters of, "Oh yea…" and "…that makes sense."

A thought floated through his mind as he looked at the large collection of players and former players in the room, _"No Academic All American's in this group." _

The room was silent again, "Yea, I excelled at running back. I still hold the record for most yards from scrimmage, most all purpose yards, and the longest kick return in Middleton High School history…104 yards."

Coach Stoppable grinned and rubbed his chin, "I wasn't half bad at this football thing. Well, back to Senior Day. We were playing the Appleton Johnnies…Their teams full nickname was the Johnnie Apple Seeds…"

**

* * *

**

Ron Stoppable paced up and down the length of the locker room. The cleats of his football shoes clicking against the concrete, it was clear he was agitated about something. Coach Barkin sized him up, "Stoppable, what in the Sam Hill is wrong with you?"

He threw up his arms, "I DON'T WANT TO KILL MY MOTHER!" He screamed in exasperation.

"What are you talking about?" Barkin asked clearly concerned by the boy's statement.

"You know, Senior Day, half time, I have to pin a corsage on my mother. I'm not real good with sharp objects. What if I hit an artery? What if I hit an artery and my mother bleeds to death on the 50 yard line? Aughhhhhhhhhh I can't do it…" He wailed.

Coach Barkin closed his eyes and shook his head, _"It's going to be one of those kinds of nights."_ He thought wearily.

"Stoppable, just pin the corsage to her blouse, or jacket or whatever."

Ron narrowed his eyes, "Oh that's easy for you to say. You've never had live down the paper machete incident…"

Block Flagg the Middleton High quarterback looked up, "What's a paper machete?"

"We as a family have agreed never to discuss it." Ron said ominously.

Barkin rolled his eyes, "All right ladies listen up."

The players gathered around to receive Barkin's pregame pep talk. Ron looked at all the eager faces. This had been the best year for football in the history of Middleton High School and if they won tonight's game they would not only be undefeated in their conference but would also be a shoe in for a playoff bid and a shot at the 3A Colorado State Championship.

Coach Barkin looked around the locker room, "All right, we've watched the film, we've had good practices. I don't want any of you to look past the Johnnies. The Johnnies are the team of the moment. This is the next step, not the final step."

Block Flagg, the younger brother of longtime Middleton High School quarterback Brick Flagg, clapped his hands, "Right on coach."

Barkin looked to a group of large players on the bench next to Ron, "Defense, what are you going to do tonight?"

Eric Driscole a large defensive lineman nodded his head and said in a loud clear voice, "Shut down the run, and dominate the line."

Coach Barkin looked over to Block Flagg, "Offense, what are we going to do tonight?"

Block grinned and elbowed Ron in the ribs, "Get Stoppable the ball every chance we get."

"Stoppable, what are you going to do?" Barkin asked.

Ron shifted nervously on the hard wooden bench, "I'm not going to drop the ball."

"Now I don't want to put pressure on you ladies but if we win this game..." He looked around the room at each player to make sure he had their attention, "…we will be the number one seed from the Plaines Division. Everything we have worked towards since early August rides on this game."

Ron took a deep breath as the reality caught up to him, _"Oh man, we could be state champs…"_

"Seniors, remember the years of futility, remember the crushing losses to Appleton in the years past. THIS ENDS TONIGHT!" Barkin shouted.

The whole team shouted as one, "YEAAAAAAAA!"

"WHO ARE WE?"

"MAD DOGS…"

"WHO ARE WE?"

"MAD DOGS…MAD DOGS...MAD DOGS…GRRRRRRRRR…"

Coach Barkin was nearly ready to charge out of the locker room, "Everyone gather around for the prayer circle."

Ron being Jewish stayed out of the Christian prayer circle but said his own little quiet desperate prayer, _"Please don't let me screw up, please don't let me maim my mom at halftime."_

After the prayer Barkin looked around the room, "Seniors, remember we are having a 20 minute halftime so that you can honor your mothers with a corsage." He looked towards Ron, "So try not to kill or maim your mother when you pin the pretty flowers on them."

The players laughed and chuckled. Block elbowed Ron again, "Paper Machete time."

Ron winched, "Oh man…"

Coach Barkin looked around the group of boys. A tear glistened in his eyes, "Gentleman, it's been an honor. NOW LET'S GO TAKE CARE OF BUISNESS!" He shouted as he turned to lead his team onto the field.

The PA announcer spotting the team taking to field bawled out into the microphone, "Here comes head coach Steven Barkin and your Middleton Mad Dog's…"

Ron pumped the air once they took the field. He looked up at the capacity crowd trying to see where his parents were sitting. He couldn't see them in the mass of humanity, so he looked for the next best thing.

His girlfriend Kim Possible, dressed in her cold weather sweats as the game time temperature was in the 40's for this late October night game. She saw him and sprang into the air waving her pom poms. Ron smiled, _"Awwwwwwwww yea, it doesn't get any better than this."_

"Stoppable, go to mid field for the coin toss." Barkin ordered.

Ron spun around with a grin, "It just got better." He said happily as he joined Block Flagg, Eric Driscole, and Chase Fontain at midfield. This was the first time he had ever been named as a captain and he was clearly excited.

"Ron calm down." Driscole whispered sternly.

The referee stood between the captains for the two teams, "Captains, shake hands…"

The captains shook hands. Ron's hand disappeared into the large grasp of a lineman whose number was 86. He sneered at Ron, "I'm going to break you in half number 7." He whispered.

It took Ron a few moments to realize, he was number 7. He blinked, "Hee, hee, hee, ohhhhh man…"

"Captains this is the coin." The referee held out a fifty cent piece. "This side is heads." He turned the coin over, "This side is tails."

The referee pointed at the quarterback of the Johnies, "Appleton, you are the visiting team. You will call it in the air."

He flipped the coin high into the air.

"HEADS"

The referee caught the coin and slapped into on the back of his hand before uncovering it. "The coin is tails, your call Middleton."

Block Flagg smiled, "Receive…"

"Appleton, which goal will you be defending?" The Appleton quarterback pointed at the opposite goal.

The two group's switched sides as the referee keyed his microphone, "Middleton has won the toss and has chosen to receive." The rest of the formality was lost in the thunderous applause from the Middleton home crowd.

Ron bounced on the balls of his feet, _"We get the ball first, coolio."_

The captains of the two teams returned to their benches for the National Anthem. Ron stood at attention as the band played the anthem, _"Don't drop the ball, don't drop the ball."_

The band finished playing as Ron took to the field with the rest of the special teams unit to await the kickoff. He stood on the five yard line bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet as the Johnnies lined up for the kickoff. He did a quick mental inventory, _"Helmet...check, mouth piece...check, pads...check, cup..."_ He quickly put his hands to his groin and acted as if he was adjusting his uniform, _"...check, definitely don't want to forget that..."_ He thought, wincing at the thought of having his testicles crushed during a tackle.

The crowd began to cheer as the kicker approached the ball. Ron focused on the kick. The kicker however didn't kick the ball his way. He didn't kick the ball down the field. The ball wobbled twelve yards as a pile of players fell on top of it. Ron put his hands on his hips, _"Onside kick?"_

He jogged towards the pile motioning that his team had the ball. When in fact he had no idea who had possession, the referees began to untangle the writhing mass of bodies. A boy in a Blue jersey emerged from the pile and handed the ball to the referee. Ron pumped his fist into the air, "Booyahhhhhhh"

Ron stood waiting for the offensive unit to take to the field. They had the ball on their own 40 yard line. Excellent field position he thought as the offense gathered up in a circle, Block called the play. "39/7 sweep left on two...39/7 sweep left on two...MAD DOGS!"

As the rest of the team chanted Mad Dogs and clapped their hands, Block saw the lost look on Ron's face. He was still unsure of the football jargon. Having never played the game before Ron was always struggling with the terminology, the playbook that he was given might as well have been written in Greek for all the good it did him. After Block broke the huddle he pulled Ron close to him by the face mask, "Once the ball is snapped run to your left and I will hand it to you. Jimbo is going to hike the ball on the second hutt...Understand?"

Ron nodded his head as Block playfully slapped him on the side of the helmet. Things would have been much worse for him if Coach Barkin didn't take time out on breaks to explain the playbook to him. Their shared part time job at Smarty Mart had helped Ron learn the basics of the offense, but it was still difficult, the arrows, the circles, the squares could be confusing. Plus trying to memorize confusion only made Ron appreciate calculus more.

Block barked out the signals, "Down...Blue 14...Blue 14...hutt...hutt..."

The ball was snapped as Ron ran to the left. Block took two steps back before he turned towards him and stuffed the ball into Ron's belly. Ron cradled the ball as he went around Charlton Paisley the big left guard. He saw a Johnnie in his road white uniform running towards him to get a line on tackling him. Ron made a quick adjustment to his right only to be flattened by another Appleton player.

Ron and the defensive player hit the ground. Ron made a loud "OMPF" as he hit. He heard the ref's whistle being blown to signal the end of the play. He quickly got to his feet and flipped the ref. the ball, _"Whewww I held on to it."_

The team was clapping as Ron made it back to the huddle, "On one, on one, 33 slingo fly, 33 slingo fly...MAD DOGS!"

Block looked at Ron and saw that he didn't look confused. He knew the play, he hated the play. It was a play designed to try and hit a wide receiver down field with a pass. If it worked Middleton would have a big play. If it didn't it would hopefully pull some men off the line to make the running game easier. The reason Ron hated it was because he would have to block. So he would run to the right and try to stop a guy in a white jersey, who would most probably be three times bigger than he was from getting to Block and knocking him onto his back.

The call to hike the ball came, Ron ran to his right after pretending to take the fake handoff from Block. The fake worked, a large kid in a white jersey flattened Ron. He took him to the ground hard.

The boy cursed as he realized Ron didn't have the ball. Ron's eyes rolled around in his head. He didn't hear any cheering from the crowd so he knew the pass was incomplete. He brought himself up to all fours. He was looking on the ground for his mouth piece. Suddenly he realized it was attached to the face mask of his helmet. He stood uneasily before making his way back to the huddle.

Block looked him over, "You OK?"

Ron closed his eyes, nodding his head as he bent over and put his hands on his knees to wait for Block to call the next play. He weighted as two new players came into the huddle as substitute. One of the new players told Block the play Coach Barkin wanted them to run. Block nodded, "60 Power Under 7 Right, 60 Power Under 7 Right, On Two, On Two...MAD DOGS!"

There was no mistaking this call. Every time he heard the number 7 called he knew it was a play for him. He knew this one by heart as it was his money play. The whole offensive line would block down on the defensive line as Block would pitch the ball to him. He would run right and more often then not, would gain some major yards.

Ron glanced towards the sidelines at the down marker, _"3__rd__ down, looks like 6 yards for a first down. I got 4 yards on the first carry...not bad."_

"DOWN...BLUE...BLUE...HUTT...HUTT..." Block called before pulling out from behind Jimbo the center with the ball.

Ron ran towards his right as Block turned and pitched the ball to him. Ron caught the ball and tucked it under his arm. He ran hard for the right side, looking down field he saw no large white shirted defensive players, only the smaller ones. The offensive line had done the job. Ron was now in the secondary running hard, he was well past the markers for a first down. Soon he was well past the white shirts of the defenses secondary as they ran hard in pursuit.

He took a chance and glanced over his shoulder as he passed the 10 yard line. There was no one even attempting to catch him now. He grinned as he made it to the end zone. He could hear the crowd cheering wildly. He spiked the ball in the end zone, _"Ha...didn't spike it on the 10 like last week."_

Ron jogged back to the sidelines the call of the PA announcer in his ear, "56 yard touch down run by number 7 Ron Stoppable."

The crowd cheered again as Ron scanned the sidelines for Kim. She and the other cheerleaders were performing a routine. Ron ran by the training table and took a plastic cup full of Gatorade as he took off his helmet. He grinned broadly as he watched his girlfriend finish the routine, _"Awwwwwww yea, is she not the hottest thing on two legs? Man I wish it was warmer so the she would still be wearing a skirt."_

Kim turned towards him smiling waggling her pom poms at him. Ron grinning broadly held out his arm that he was holding his helmet towards her and shouted, "WHO'S GOT GAME NOW, GIRLIE?"

"You got game, Ronnie." Came the familiar response, barely audible over the cheers of the crowd.

"STOPPABLE, QUIT MESSING AROUND AND GET OVER HERE!" Coach Barkin screamed.

Ron jumped at the voice and turned. He saw the rest of the offense sitting on the bench. He ran over and took a seat with the offensive unit. Coach Oswald held a stack of pictures that were sent down from the press box. He looked towards Ron, "See this? They had 4 men on the line and the rest back to protect against the pass. I think the next series they're going to start cheating towards the line of scrimmage to stuff the run."

He looked at the black and white screen captures. He fought back the urge to tell him that no one could stop him, but the last time he did that he made the offensive line mad. He spent the next two series against Lowerton laying on his back staring at the night sky while 4 or 5 Lowerton players lay on top of him. He learned after that to quit bragging and be nice to the offensive line, _"Ain't no way they get past the big guys. They're too tough to let anyone get through to me."_

The big kids on the bench smiled and nodded. Jimbo the center smiled, "Glad to see you remember the Lowerton game."

"SO!" Coach Oswald shouted to get their attention, "What we are going to do is put you in motion as a receiver. Run a few pass patterns to pull them off the line before we hit em' again with the run."

The half wore on. It seemed as if the Middleton High School Mad Dog's could do no wrong. Ron scored two more touch downs, only fumbling the ball once before falling on it before the half time whistle. The score at half time Middleton Mad Dog's 21, the Appleton Johnnies 0.

Coach Barkin quickly gathered the players around him, "OK, Ladies that wasn't a bad half. Pelker, what are you thinking? You don't take down a ball carrier by the face mask. Stoppable, How many times do we have to practice taking a handoff to keep you from putting the ball on the ground? Ball control, man, ball control…"

Ron winced, "The ball was wet and it's a bit big for my hands. Now if we had a smaller ball…"

"STOPPABLE…We only have one size of football, learn to hold on to it. I'm not going to have to make you carry it around like a sack of flower am I?"

The team laughed as they remembered Ron's failed health class assignment. Ron frowned as he shook his head, _"Ahhhhhhh, Sackie MCMLXXXV…She had my eyes."_

"Alright, the plan for the second half is simple. Ball control, ball control, ball control, we're going to keep the ball on the ground and grind the Johnnies into the ground as we keep their offense off the field. So no dropping the ball, take your time getting to line of scrimmage, no running out of bounds. Nothing that will stop that clock, all right, let's head back out to the field for Senior Day ceremonies. Senior's this is your day, relish the time you spend out there tonight. Make your parents proud."

The team took to the field. There was a row of corsages lined up on the training table. Ron picked up one as he filed past with the rest of the seniors. Principle McNary lead the group over to where they're mothers were standing. Ron quickly spotted his mother. She was wearing a very pretty blue dress. He had never seen it before, so he figured it was new.

"Mom, it's cold out here. You should be wearing your coat." He scolded her.

His mother smiled and sighed. It was cold as he could see her breath, "Oh Ronald, you look so handsome in your uniform…"

Ron blushed, "Mom…

She had her hands clasped in front of her. Ron suddenly realized why. She was holding Rufus. A flood of relief washed over him, "Rufus, you can pin the corsage on her."

The naked mole rat bobbed his head, "OK, OK…Hold on to the ball…"

He chuckled, "Not you too…"

The call came for the seniors to escort their mothers onto the football field. Ron proffered an arm for his mother to take. She took his arm and whispered, "This is so exciting."

Ron felt a lump rising in his throat as they walked onto the football field, "Yea…"

He scanned the sidelines looking for something to distract him so he wouldn't cry. He saw Kim with the rest of the cheer squad waggling their pom poms in a desperate attempt at keeping warm. He thought about all the good times they had together and a future he hoped they would have. He had thought of marriage many times, but that would be far down the road. In his mind nothing short of an alien invasion would be able to stop the two from getting married.

Principle McNary introduced the each senior who then pinned their corsage onto the mother. When Principle McNary reached Delbert Smith, he opened the little plastic box holding the corsage. He glanced down at Rufus, "Get ready buddy."

"Our final senior this evening, is well how shall I say kind of a one of a kind. His motto is never be normal and his running abilities at halfback are certainly not normal. Give it up for Middleton High's all time rushing record holder, Ronald Stoppable."

There crowd howled, mimicking the way Ron used to howl when he was the Mad Dog mascot. He grinned as he turned to his mother. Rufus reached out and took the corsage, taking it up onto the lapel of Mrs. Stoppable's dress, "hink' hold still..."

His mother beamed at her only son, "Oh Ronald, you're growing up so fast..."

"Mom..." Ron said as he blushed from embarrassment.

Rufus finished pinning the corsage to Mrs. Stoppable's dress. Ron felt a rush of emotion, he hugged his mother tightly. Mrs. Stoppable returned the hug until she felt the stick of a pin, "Oh, something stuck me."

Ron pulled away quickly and threw up his hands, "I knew it, I knew it, it got an artery didn't it. MEDIC, MEDIC..." He screamed as he tried to run for help.

Mrs. Stoppable grabbed her son, "It's not that bad, it's not like the paper machete..."

"Shhhhhhhhhhhh" Ron said suddenly.

The seniors walked off the field at the conclusion of the ceremony. Delbert Smith leaned over to Ron, "She meant Paper Mache' didn't she?"

Ron narrowed his eyes, "Oh if only she did..."

**

* * *

**

Andrew stared wide eyed at his grand pa, "So you didn't kill your mom?"

Coach Stoppable laughed, "No, no, my mother lived to be a ripe old age, and she was very proud of me."

"So coach, just what is a paper machete?" One of his players asked.

Ron looked towards his wife for help. She responded with a smile, "It's a tool for left handed people."

The other men in the room nodded, "Ohhhhhhh"

"Hey coach when are you going to talk to me?" A man said standing in the back of the room.

The old man narrowed his eyes at the man, "I had hoped you'd given up."

"No, no, I'm determined to write my book." The man said.

The door bell rang giving Coach Stoppable an excuse to leave the room, "I'll get it."

He walked towards the front of the large house followed by his wife. He opened the door and smiled, "Cheyenne..."

His oldest daughter hugged him tightly, "Congratulations daddy."

"Thanks baby, oh I see you brought Matthew along." He said eyeing his oldest grandson.

"Hi Grandpa, congratulations..." The man said shyly.

"Ahhhhh enough of that tell me what position they're playing you at?" He asked the boy.

"Tight end, Coach Montrez thinks I'll be a good fit on passing situations." He told him.

Coach Stoppable looked over the man, "Hmmmmmmm, well the Buccaneers do need a pass catching tight end."

"All right that's enough football talk. Come in Cheyenne I know Annie would love to see you." His wife told her.

They walked back into the living room. Annie's eyes lit up as she saw her older sister enter the room, "Che'"

"Annie..." Two women hugged. Cheyenne broke from the hug, "Where's Allison?"

Annie frowned, "You know how she is. If it doesn't involve her or her family she doesn't care."

"Don't talk about your twin like that." Coach Stoppable scolded.

"Dad, it's true and you know it." Annie shot back.

Coach Stoppable sighed. It was hard enough having 7 kids and 14 grand kids, he just wish that the girls could all get along. He looked to his wife, she didn't look happy either. She never did when ever Kim Possible was involved.

They had been married for over 30 years but Kim still cast a long shadow over the two of them. She pulled him off to the side away from everyone, "She wins the White House...You're not going to...you know..."

He frowned, "After all these years you think I'd just take off. I'd never do that to your or the kids."

She seemed to be reassured, "I know it's silly of me but..."

He took her in his arms, "Monique, I built my life with you, not Kim."

She hugged him tightly, "I know Ron...it's just...too much stress."

The phone rang as he kissed her forehead. She smiled happily, "I'll get that, it's probably Bug..."

Ron smiled as he thought of his oldest son. Coaching for the University of Wyoming where he had gone to college. Monique smiled and wiggled the phone at him, "It's Bug."

He took the phone, "Go Pokes."

"_Go to hell CSU, how you doin' dad?"_

"Doing great, your mother threw me a surprise party that surprised no one." He said as he winked at Monique.

She frowned and left the room muttering, "Men..."

"_Congratulations on getting into the Hall of Fame."_

Ron smiled, "Well...It was a surprise."

"_Dad...I need some advice." _

He frowned, _"Here it comes."_

The voice on the other end of the phone hesitated, _"I want to leave UW. I want to coach a program that has a shot at the big game."_

"What schools do you have in mind?" He was almost afraid to ask.

"_I've been quietly talking with Florida State and Alabama."_

The old man let out a deep breath, "You sure you don't want to look towards California?"

"_Those schools can't get the press coverage like the SEC and ACC can."_

"I know...Look can you stay at UW one more season?"

"_Why?"_

Ron looked around the room, "Don't say a word about this to anyone, not even your mother."

"Alright..." The voice on the other end of the phone said nervously.

"I'm tired Ronnie, I mean...I'm really tired." He told his son sadly.

"_Dad, are you feeling alright."_ His son asked nervously. He knew anytime his dad called him by his given name that it was usually serious.

"I want to spend more time with your mother. We aren't getting any younger. I'm just so tired of boosters, trustees, media, the non-stop recruiting. We win a national championship and suddenly that's not good enough...I don't feel like a coach anymore. I feel like a foreman in a factory or something." He said sadly.

"_Kids starting to wear you down?"_

Ron closed his eyes, "No, no, the kids are great. They've always been great."

"_You think they'd let take over your program?"_

"That's a tough call. I mean, I made a few enemies around here over the years." He told his son as he tried to suppress a laugh.

"_Awwwww dad, just take a paper machete to em'."_ The boy said with a laugh.

"Hey, hey now, your Grandma Stoppable swore you to secrecy." He reminded him.

"_I'll think on it dad, any advice about our upcoming game with BYU?"_

He asked, "Home or away?"

"Away..."

Ron laughed, "Wear a helmet. The last time I played there they were throwing 'D' cell batteries at me."

The two laughed, before the son became serious again, "Dad, talk to mom first. You know how mad she gets if she's left out of the decision."

"Yea, ever since we lived in the neighborhoods she's always been my rock." He said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"_She always did say you took good care of her."_ The boy added.

"You going to be able to come home for Chanukah?" He asked hopefully.

"_I don't know, Stacie hasn't been feeling well, kids in and out of the doctors office...You know how it is." _

Ron smiled, "Yea, you take care of that family first then."

"_I learned from the best. You take care dad and I'll try and call tomorrow night."_

Ron hung up the phone, turning he saw the man from the family room. He jumped before catching himself, "How much did you hear?"

"I only heard your son's family has been sick." The man said.

He frowned at the man, "Haven't you figured out that I don't want to be a part of a...tell all book."

"Coach Stoppable, you were brought up in astounding times. A supposed dormant volcano erupts. Over one third of the country homeless, people want to hear about how you did it. People want to know what really happened in Middleton Colorado back in late May of 2007." The man explained.

Ron stared at the ground, "No, no...It's just too hard. So many dead, so many dead."

The writer Eaton Trendle had been shadowing Ron where ever he went for months now. Wanting Ron to tell the definitive history of what really happened. So far Ron had refused. There were so many memories buried deep inside the recesses of his mind that he didn't want to have to relive.

Eaton Trendle put a hand on his shoulder, "Coach Stoppable, I was placed up for adoption in a church orphanage in Upperton. I'm not only writing this book to cover your story. I want to find out what happened to my mother and her family."

Ron's eyes narrowed, "Oh...Who was your mother?" He asked suspiciously.

"She used to go to school with you and your wife. Her name was Tara Strong."

The old man's face turned pale, "Tara...I thought she lived. I...I don't know what happened to many of my old classmates."

"Not many people do. I want to tell their story. I want to tell your story. I want to know what really happened in Middleton after the...Volcano erupted." Eaton said with just a twinge of disbelief at the government's cover story.

Ron nodded his head weakly. He looked towards the sound of the party from the other room, "I...I want to talk to my wife first. Can you, can you come back tomorrow?"

"You've been telling me to come back tomorrow for the past..."

"Don't you push me." Ron whispered angrily. "I need to talk to my wife first, come back in the morning. Come back in the morning and I'll try to tell you everything I know."

Eaton Trendle nodded his head in agreement, "How's 11 o'clock sound?

Ron nodded his head, "Fine, I thought your mother lived. So many died...So many died." He said quietly.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry about the length of the chapter. I got to writing and just couldn't stop. So I broke it up into 2 chapters. Chapter 2 which I post now and Chapter 3 that I hope to post soon. I promise in future chapters will deal less with football and more with story. I have to write a lot of football now in order to give Ron his street creds. as a player.**

**Many thanks to those who have reviewed chapter 1: Bigherb81, NMR68, Scotty Boi, Nutzkie, LycoX, AtomicFire, Ron Hakubi, Trekkiefulron, Drakonis Aurous, for their reviews.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Bubba**

* * *

The following morning came. Ron sat outside by the swimming pool drinking a cup of coffee. He and Monique had been up most of the night talking about the writer Eaton Trendle and if he truly was the son of Tara Strong. Monique sat down next to him, "I think we need to see more proof than just his word." 

Ron nodded his head, "I agree...I'm glad I took the day off. I'm tired."

"Now as far as the other issue goes, no you are not retiring." She said firmly.

"I'm ready to let it go. Spend more time with you." He said as he reached out and took her hand.

Monique frowned, "Bull, I know you better than that. You'd be growling at me like on old bear within a week."

"What am I supposed to do?" He said sadly.

"Quit, find another coaching position. Do TV, you like doing TV." She offered.

Ron nodded his head, "Well it's a thought."

"Morning Mom, morning Dad..." A very curvaceous young lady wearing a yellow thong bikini said as she lay down on a chase lounge by the pool.

Monique frowned at her youngest daughter, "Myracle, why don't you go put on some clothes. Your father and I are expecting company."

Myracle came to the Stoppable's late in life. Monique was 41 when she gave birth to her now 18 year old daughter enjoyed nothing more than driving her parents crazy. The two would tease each other that the reason Myracle was always getting her way, was because the two of them were too old and tired to put their collective foot down.

The girl looked over towards Ron and pouted, "Daddy..."

"Sorry girl after Kim had the twins the pout doesn't work on me anymore." Ron said with a grin.

"You heard your father now get some clothes on." Monique said firmly as she pointed to the house.

Myracle growled as she got to her feet and stomped towards the house, "I can't wait till I can move out of here."

Ron glanced at Monique when their daughter had left, "I remember when you were wearing things like that."

Monique grunted, "I never wore anything like that and if I did. I wouldn't let you see me in it."

"Ahhhhhh, after all these years you still respect the Ron Dog." He said happily as he reached out to touch her arm.

"Don't you touch me." She giggled, "Four kids is enough. I'm too old to have anymore and you're too old to even think hard."

"Awwww, No Myracle I...I? Come on Monique, I've got these pills in the..." Ron protested before Monique put a stop to him.

"They make your blood pressure go crazy. Face it honey, the Ron Dog has seen better days." She said grinning at him.

Ron frowned, "Well it wouldn't do any harm to let him out to hunt from time to time."

"Dad, there's someone at the door." Annie Possible called from the house.

Monique shot Ron a disturbed look, "We'll see who hunts what later."

"Send him out honey..." He called to his daughter as he looked towards Monique, "Why is she still here?"

"She's picking Oscar up at the airport later." Monique reminded him.

"Oh yea...The kids are lucky they all married good people." He said absently as he stood to receive Eaton Trendle.

The man was nearing 40, the right age he thought to be the son of Tara. His hair was curly brown with just a hint of gray coming in at the temples. Ron looked into his eyes. they were brown and sunken, not at all like Tara's. Ron looked to Monique as he gestured for the man to sit down, "So you're Tara's son..."

The man nodded as he held up a book bag, "I figured you two would want to see some proof."

Monique looked at Ron, "No...It's just that..."

"You can't be sure who to trust from the old neighborhood." The man finished.

The two openly flinched, at the remnant from the post Lorwardian attack. They were moved into relocation centers known as neighborhoods. The term neighbor would later be used as a derisive term. If you were a neighbor you were considered inferior.

The writer saw his error, "Sorry..."

"No prob…We're proud to be dirty, no good low life neighbors." Monique said bitterly.

Ron nodded and took an old yearbook from the boy, "Yea…Neighbor trash." He muttered.

He looked at it, Tara D. Strong was written inside the front cover. A tear glistened in Ron's eye as he handled the old brown book, "Reach For the Stars..." He mumbled to himself as he showed the book to Monique.

She frowned and nodded her head, "That was our senior theme."

The man nodded, "I have to confess...I found the book at an estate sale."

Ron nodded as he took a piece of paper from him. It was a birth certificate, "Certificate of Live Birth, State of Colorado. 18 July, 2009. Mother Tara Dee Strong...Father...Unknown..." He stopped as he showed the paper to Monique.

Monique squirmed as she looked it over. The man noticed their reaction, "I was told Father Unknown...wasn't a good thing."

Ron frowned and nodded. Monique, smiled uneasily, "Where are my manners...Mr. Trendle would you like a cup of coffee or something to drink?"

"Coffee would be fine." Eaton said.

Monique didn't waste a second. She wanted away from the pool. Too many bad memories were coming back to haunt her. Ron watched his wife hurry away, "Father Unknown was fairly common when the mother's were raped. Let's see 2009, that would have been after the work crews came..." He mused as he looked over the document, "Dr. Ann Possible, Attending Physician...Not much call for brain specialists back then."

Ron put the certificate down and picked the year book back up. He smiled as he leafed through the pages, "I haven't seen one of these...since 2007. My book was blown apart during the attack..." Catching himself, he quickly added, "...errrrr...eruption."

Monique returned with a cup of coffee on a saucer. A good amount of the coffee had sloshed out of the cup because she couldn't stop her hands from shaking, "Here you go...Sorry about the mess."

"That's alright Mrs. Stoppable." The man said taking the cup from her.

Ron grinned and pointed to his picture, "Me with hair and wearing the ol' blue suit."

Monique smiled as she looked the picture over, "You're much more handsome now. Not near as geeky looking."

He chuckled at the compliment, "You just got prettier each day. I bet you cold still pass for...oh...say..."

"55?" Monique said with a knowing grin.

"I was thinking more in the 30's." Ron said making sure to wink at her.

"You signed the book on that page with your picture on it." Eaton said pointing to the inscription eagerly.

Ron tilted the book around as he had signed it on a corner, "Hard to read my own hand writing...Friendships may come and friendships may go..." He fought back tears as he quickly closed the book and handed it to Monique.

She took the book and found the page. She too quickly closed the book as she turned away. Ron took the book back from her and flipped to Monique's page, "Look at that badical hottie..." He said as he forced his voice to sound pleasant.

Monique turned around and smiled at her own picture, "I haven't looked that good in so long...Those awful hair extensions."

Ron grinned happily, "Here's your inscription. Hey girlie, too my SF, Monique, Love Ya...TTFN, Class 2007 Rulzzzzz baby!"

The man grinned, "I don't know what SF and TTFN mean..."

Monique smiled, "Special Friend and Ta Ta For Now. I used to think it was clever to abbreviate everything."

"Ah..."

Ron flipped the pages back to his inscription and read it silently to himself, _"Friendships may come and friendships may go, but a friendship like ours will only grow...Ronnie Stoppable...The Ron...2007."_

"It was clever. We always enjoyed it." Ron murmured sadly.

Monique shrugged, "Stuff we did as kids…"

He flipped the pages back to where his friend Kim Possible would be, "There she is..." He said quietly.

Monique leaned over and grinned at the sight of her old red headed friend, "Oh of course..."

Ron grinned, "Well we were quite the couple..."

"Yea, you two were..." Monique said still grinning.

"I have another picture of my mom holding me, when I was a baby." Eaton said as he handed the two a faded picture.

Ron took the picture and looked it over. A very young Tara was dressed in white top and black shorts. Bouncing a baby on her knee, she wore a weak smile. Ron saw a look in her eyes he had seen all too many times back then, despair. He handed the picture to Monique and took up the yearbook again. He found the page he was looking for, "This is how I like to remember your mother."

The boy smiled at the picture, "I don't really have too many pictures of my mom. She sure was pretty." He said, with just a twinge of melancholy in his voice.

"Yea, that's the way I like to remember us. Happy kids, seniors, not a care in the world. The Lorwardians took that from us..." Ron said quietly.

"Lorwardians?"

Ron snapped back to reality, "Uh, yes, Mt. Lorwardian...the volcano. Of course I liked the first story the best. Rogue baby comet strikes Eastern Colorado."

Monique gave him a harsh look, "It was a volcano...We don't need any trouble."

"Yea," Ron said in agreement before he quickly changed the subject, "Your mother had a crush on me once. Did you know that?"

The man shook his head, "No, no, I haven't really met many people that knew her. That's part of the reason I'm writing this book. To try to capture the memories of what life was like back in the neighborhoods before all the neighbors pass on...I not only want to tell your story but to try and learn my mothers."

Monique studied the picture closely, "There is someone behind her, uniform...Guardsman maybe?"

Ron took the picture back from her and studied it, "It's not highway patrol. Picture's so faded. I bet it was taken with one of those old disposable cameras. Three for $20.00 at Smarty Mart…" Ron mused as he continued to look it over, "It could be a guardsman."

The boy took the photo back from Ron and studied it, "I never noticed this before. I was always just looking at the two of us."

"What neighborhood was your mother placed in?" Ron asked.

"Oakwoods, 'C' Street, Box 10, at least that's the address I have for the Strong's."

"What happened to Tara's parents...your grandparents?" Monique asked.

Eaton shook his head, "I don't know...You said my mother had a crush on you?"

Ron smiled, "Yea, we were...sophomores, I think? Anyway, I got a peck on the cheek from her. I found out later she liked me. She was dating Josh Mankey then...I think..." He said looking to Monique for help.

She shrugged, "News to me."

"I thought Kim might have mentioned it."

Monique smirked, "If it came to other girls liking you, it wasn't discussed much and if it was...the talk wasn't pretty."

"So what was Middleton like before the...disaster?" Eaton asked as he brought out a digital voice recorder.

Ron looked at it and thought for a moment, "Well it was great, your typical small suburb...We were Colorado Class 3A Football State Champions..."

Monique rolled her eyes, "He doesn't want to hear about football Ron."

"Well he's going to. Because that's the way I like to remember everyone. Everyone was happy and excited. Looking forward to something memorable, looking forward to the future, a future without dread." Ron said bitterly.

Monique frowned and nodded her head, "Yea, the State Championship was fun."

Ron nodded his head, "That was when I played football for fun. It wasn't a job. I wasn't playing in order to escape the neighborhood. I played for fun back then."

**

* * *

**

Middleton High School playing in the Upperton University Football Stadium had just survived the third round of the Colorado High School Activities Association Playoffs. The team was undefeated and a number 1 seed. The first round bracket they played Palisade's High School and destroyed them, 56-7 as Ron accumulated more than 523 yards of total offense, setting a CHSAA record that still stands today.

Round two action saw Middleton High defeating Fossil Ridge, 35-26 in a back and forth game until Ron ran a punt return back for a touchdown late in the game. The game also stood out in Ron's mind because Middleton never had to punt the ball. He either scored or he fumbled, it was not one of his better games.

Round three action saw a more confident and loose Mad Dog team easily winning over Steam Boat Springs 42- 33. After a week of carrying around a football Ron didn't fumble once. Of course at the end of the week he sobbed hysterically when he was forced to surrender Bally I…I...I. What happened to Bally I and Bally I...I has been lost to history.

Now they had reached the pentacle of High School Football. The Colorado State Championship game to be played in Go City Municipal Stadium the first Saturday in December would pit the Middleton Mad Dogs against the Rockwood Kewpies.

Kim Possible met with the other cheerleaders. It was the last week of November and time to plan Spirit Week. She eyed the girls to make sure they were paying attention. She frowned as she noticed Bonnie Rockwaller was still on the phone to her new boyfriend. Kim smirked, "Bonnie, we're trying to have a meeting here."

Bonnie held up a hand, "Talk to the hand 'K'" She said before turning her attention back to the phone, "Of course I miss you Junior..."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, "Alright, let's see...Wednesday night we're going to TP the senior football players houses...Weather permitting. Thursday after school we're making signs and banners, Friday we're wearing our cheerleading uniforms to school and the players are wearing their jerseys. Am I forgetting anything?"

Jim and Tim Possible looked to one another, "Yea, how about our..." Jim began.

"...surprise for game time in Go City?" Tim finished.

Kim gave the twins a stern look. She next dropped her voice to effect a reasonable impersonation of her father, "Now Jim and Tim, there will be no detonating of an explosive device inside of Go City Municipal Stadium."

The twins looked at Kim as if she had just kicked their puppy. Tim was first to speak up, "We promise..."

"...it'll only be a low yield device." Jim finished.

Kim put her hands on her hips, "NO"

Bonnie ended her call with Junior, "Fine, what's the plan now?"

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you all about it." Tara said eagerly.

"Yea, fine, whatever." Bonnie said with a shrug.

**

* * *

**

Spirit week was underway. Monday the band played the Middleton High School fight song in the cafeteria at lunch. Tuesday the cheerleaders wore the player jerseys. Kim wore Ron's which delighted him to no end. Wednesday night came, the weather was cold and clear.

Ron heard a commotion outside from his room. He looked out the window and smiled as eight very cute cheerleaders jumped out of the back of a pickup truck and began howling and cheering as they threw rolls of toilet paper into the Stoppable families trees.

"_Ronald, come down here this instant."_

"Oh man..." He moaned as he grabbed Rufus, "Come on buddy. Look cute, if there's a pet involved I won't get the death penalty."

Mr. Stoppable stood at the bottom of the stairs glaring at Ron, "What are those girls outside doing?"

Ron shifted his weight nervously, "They're TPing the house for Spirit Week...I'm on the football team and..."

"I know you're on the football team. First thing in the morning you're going to pull all of the toilet paper out of the trees. Pray it doesn't rain." He said as he turned to leave the room.

Ron sighed and looked to his little pink friend, "Well, we have our work cut out for us in the morning."

Rufus shook his head, "Nuh huh...You..."

He didn't say anything as he returned to his room to watch the girls finish and jump back into the truck and drive off. He smiled as he looked at the impromptu decorations, _"Man, this is great."_

**

* * *

**

Friday arrived, the school district declared a half day as the football team, cheerleaders, band, boosters, parents, and Mad Dog fans would have to travel halfway across the state to Go City. The team loaded onto charter buses for the trip. Ron sat down in a very comfortable seat by the window, _"Man if only school buses could be like this."_ As he looked at the small television embedded in the seat in front of him.

The rest of the team took their seats. Ron glanced out the window as their gear was loaded onto the bus. Kim came over and caught his eye. He waved to her. She mouthed the words Mad Dogs and threw her arms up in the air to signal a touchdown. He smiled nervously and without thinking mouthed the words "I love you ". She froze in her tracks before smiling and nodding her head in return.

"_Listen up people." _

Ron turned to face the voice of Coach Barkin. He couldn't see the coach as the seats were too tall, but Barkin made sure he could make himself heard over the buses PA system. The stocky coach waited till he made sure he had everyone's attention, "Today we go further than any Middleton High School Football team has gone before. We win this game tonight, we are state champions."

The bus broke into cheers. Ron pumped his fist in the air and screamed, "BOOYAH!!!"

Barkin waited for them to quiet down again, "We have a 4 hour bus ride ahead of us to Go City. I want you to rest, sleep, and reflect on all the hard work that it has taken you to get to this point. Play hard tonight, make your parents proud."

The bus erupted into cheers again. Everyone began to chant, "BARKIN, BARKIN, BARKIN..." A slight wisp of a smile crossed the coach's face as he took a seat. Ron heard the hydraulic hiss of the door being closed. Soon the buses were moving.

Ron lay his head back against the seat and let his mind wonder, _"Rufus is coming with mom and dad. Han is with them...Man, I hope we win tonight."_

Soon the motorcade of buses, cars, trucks, and RV's were snaking their way through Middleton, complete with a police escort. All the store fronts had big blue and white signs out front. Written on the signs were "Go Mad Dogs" and "Mad Dog Pride".

People lined the streets to wave at them. Ron grinned and waved back, a sense of pride and accomplishment filled him as never before. He took it all in, the signs, the people, and the other vehicles in the motorcade. He wanted to remember every last second, to hold these memories in his heart forever.

All too soon they were out of Middleton on 163 making their way towards I-80 and Go City. Small farms and towns dotted the landscape, a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. The sky was overcast and snow was being called for late tonight. _"Perfect football weather," _he thought.

Block Flagg sat down heavily in the seat next to Ron, "So you ready for tonight?" He asked.

Ron nodded his head, "I think so…"

The brothers Flagg came from a brick laying family. Flagg Masonry was one of the oldest union shops in Middleton. Greg Flagg upon marriage thought it would be cute to name his boys after his company's specialties. The oldest brother Mort, short for Mortar graduated from Middleton High School 12 years before. Next in line was Stone Flagg, who graduated 4 years after that.

Next brother in line was Brick Flagg. Having graduated from High School after seven seasons as the Middleton High quarterback, he now attended college at Colorado State University on a football scholarship.

The running joke was that Brick wasn't too bright, having been the Mad Dog quarterback for seven years. Most people forget that Middleton High School had no Junior Varsity team, nor did T.L.Melman Middle School have a football team while Brick attended. Brick being so large and bulky for his age, was quickly brought up to play as Middleton High School's quarterback since he was in Middle School.

The youngest son Block was named for cinder blocks. His dad's favorite item to lay. Cinder blocks were easier and cheaper to manage than brick or stone. Thus you could lay twice as many blocks to bricks but still get paid the same rate. Greg used to tease Brick with the line, "Block is good, Brick is bad..." while they were growing up.

Now with Brick graduated, it fell on Block to maintain the family tradition of all the brothers quarterbacking the Middleton High School Mad Dogs, a tradition that nearly ended due to Ron Stoppable's short stint as quarterback.

Block leaned back in the seat, "7 Toss…"

Ron was getting used to the memory drill. It helped to remember the plays. It also helped him to relax on the way to Go City. "Run left, you pitch the ball to me and you run right to confuse the coverage."

"Right, new play, 7 counter."

"Uh…Right tackle pulls away from the line, crosses to the left and blocks, while you hand me the ball and I run behind him?" Ron said quizzically.

Block thought it over, "Close enough OK, I'm calling the signals and I see a defense I don't like. What audible word do I call to change the play?"

"Bazooka"

"Right, and what animal do I call out to identify a change in the play to you?"

"Dog"

"Why Dog?"

"Because, I was the Mad Dog mascot last year." Ron answered.

"Right, now if I call out left, left where do you run?"

Ron thought it over for a second, "Right"

"Good, what color do I call if we run the play as called?"

"Blue"

"Ready for Barkin's three trick plays?" Block asked with an evil grin.

"Awwwwww yea!" Ron said returning the evil grin.

"Are you guys going to try and hook up at the Adam's Mark?" Block asked.

"Huh?"

"You and Kim, hotel after the game, hot tub?" Block asked again with a wink.

Ron blinked, "They have a hot tub?"

"Oh yea…So…you guys going to partake?'

"I don't know. I haven't thought about it. I've been too caught up with the game." Ron said nervously.

Block nodded his head, "Good stay focused on the game. Well, I'm off to check on the other guys."

"OK, see you later." Ron said as he returned to staring out the window. Block calmed him down about the game, but only fueled adolescent fantasies about the hot tub. A smile crossed Ron's face as he imagined an adoring Kim relaxing with him in the warm swirling waters after the game.

"_Oh Ronnie, you were so manly and strong. Tell me again about how you scored a record 9 touchdowns."_

"_Well, with the most badical red headed cheerleader in the entire world rooting me on. It was easy."_

"_Oh Ronnie, It's sooooo hot in here, let's get rid of these awful clothes…"_

"Stoppable, get your hand off your crotch before people get the wrong idea…."

Ron jumped at the sound of Coach Barkin's voice. The other players on the bus broke out into laughter. He looked down frowning at a rather large bulge in his pants, "Oh man….."

Barkin leaned over and glared at him menacingly, "Don't get any ideas about the hotel. I'll be keeping both eyes on you and Possible. There will be no procreating under my watch mister."

"Oh man…" Ron said again as towels and other objects flew from all over the bus towards him.

He snoozed for the rest of the trip to the stadium. Formations and more formations ran through his head. He thought about the trick plays and how they practiced them. They were pretty clever and he hoped they worked. After all they all involved getting him the football. He didn't want to look foolish in a state championship game.

"_Look at the size of this place…"_

Ron opened his eyes and looked out his window, "What?"

"Other side of the highway Ron…" A voice called from the other side of the bus.

He looked across the bus and glimpsed his first view of Go City Municipal Stadium. It was much larger than the stadium they played in for the playoffs. This was after all for the state championship, "Coooooooooooool…" He gasped in awe of the structure.

The Colorado High School Activities Association 3a State Championship game was traditionally played in Go City. The larger 4a and 5a schools went to Denver to play in Invesco Stadium, home of the Denver Broncos. The smaller 3a and 2a schools played in Go City and the 1a and six man teams played in Upperton. The arrangement worked well since all the championship games could be played on the same weekend in December without having any overlap or conflicting schedules to contend with.

The team scrambled from one side of the bus to the other. Barkin was screaming at them to return to their seats but no one was listening. Ron looked over the large facility. Go City Municipal Stadium, Home of the Go City University Comets. With a total seating capacity of 38,000 it was the largest stadium the Middleton Mad Dogs had ever played in.

"Look, look, Diamond Vision…" Block said as he pointed to the large TV screen embedded in the scoreboard.

Ron grinned, "Awwwwwwww yeaaaaaaaaaaa, Ron-Man gotta score to see himself on the big TV."

The bus turned off of I-80 onto Memorial Drive, there was already a row of buses lined up outside the ticket office. Barkin growled, "Figures, Rockwood is already here. They must want that 4th championship pretty bad."

**

* * *

**

Mike Clemmons sat in the press box. He had been on the road looking at High School players for most of the month for the University of Wyoming. He had looked at players from the 4a and 5a schools and was now in the process of looking for promising 3a players that he felt he could recruit from Rockwood and Middleton.

Mike a young grad student and coaching hopeful looked over the list of Rockwood players he wanted to see and then the Middleton team, "Only one guy here worth spending time looking at." He said to the man next to him.

"What do you mean? Rockwood's loaded with talent, schools too big for 3a." Tim Shannon another recruiter for Colorado State University said in disbelief.

"Not Rockwood, Middleton…" Mike said as he looked out at the field with a pair of binoculars.

"Stoppable, the guy's a retard." Tim said with a laugh.

Mike let out a breath, "Well his transcript sure leaves a lot to be desired. His coach Steve Barkin says…"

"The kids getting a 'C' in health, I know you're not thinking about wasting a scholarship on this one. He'll be on academic probation before he can even take the field."

The man watched Ron warming up on the sidelines, "No, no, I think he's going to have to go JUCO."

"Look over there, Lucas Stinson. Left tackle for Rockwood, big mother…" Tim said motioning to the other side of the field.

"He's already signed a letter of intent to play with Wyoming." Mike said with a grin.

"No way, how do you guys keep picking our pockets. Man we've got to start keeping these kids at home." The recruiter for CSU said angrily.

Mike shrugged as he continued to watch Ron, "I was in Rockwood back in November."

Tim frowned, "Well we'll get more quality kids after we kick your asses tomorrow in the Bronze Boot game."

"Uh huh…"

He looked down onto the field to see what Mike was looking at, "He's too small and he's a retard."

"I don't know, put a red shirt on him, and spend a year packing about 25 to 30 lbs. worth of muscle on him…." Mike mused.

"You're crazy. He'll never amount to anything as a football player."

**

* * *

**

Kim Possible stood on the sideline watching the players warm up. She waved to Ron as Monique slid into the box seat next to her. "Girl have you seen the size of that school over there. They can't be 3a." She said in disbelief.

"They must have 25 or 30 more players than we do." Kim said sadly.

Tara walked up, "Look at the size of their band."

Bonnie walked up, "They've got both electric bass and guitar, and two guys in band uniforms that just push around the amps. Why don't we have that?"

Tim or Jim approached in his Pep Puppy mascot outfit, "Hey Kim, that tall cheerleader with the fire engine red hair over there for Rockwood says you're a ho…What's a ho?"

"Well Pep Puppy, a hoe is a garden tool used for breaking up soil in order to plant seeds in a garden." Kim explained without missing a beat.

The Pep Puppies head tilted to the right, "I don't get it."

Kim frowned and in a slightly menacing tone said, "That's alright, I do…"

The blue puppy mascot walked away. Bonnie had an evil gleam in her eye, "Let's catch them in the parking lot after the game. No one and I mean no one calls Kim a garden tool… unless it's me of course."

**

* * *

**

The team changed into their road white jerseys. They had lost the toss and were to be considered the visiting team. Ron smeared shoe polish under his eyes. The idea was to cut down on the glare from the sun. With this being a night game the only thing it really did was give the feeling one was putting on war paint.

Next he pulled on his Reebok athletic gloves. The heavy leather palm and spandex construction was designed to help grip the ball in adverse weather conditions. Ron liked wearing them as he thought they made him look tough.

Block sat down next to him, "You see how big that team is?"

He nodded, "Yea, big guys too."

"Yea…" Block said uneasily.

Barkin entered the locker room and gathered the team around him. He spent a few moments looking over the players, "Remember…Remember this day. I'm told that Rockland expects to be up by 42 points at halftime. That way the clock runs continuously in the 2nd half. I SAY THEY ARE WRONG!"

Ron and the rest of the team nodded and a few called out weak, "Yea's"

"You know what it took to get you hear. You know your value. You know you're a quality team. They don't have a clue what we can do, TONIGHT GENTELMAN WE SHOCK THE WORLD!" Barkin screamed.

"YEA!" The cheer grew louder.

"WHO ARE WE?"

"MAD DOGS!"

"WHO ARE WE?"

"MAD DOGS! MAD DOGS! MAD DOGS! MAD DOGS! WOOF, WOOF, WOOF!"

The team gathered around for the prayer circle. Ron closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. He thought of his parents, his sister and Rufus, thought of Kim, thought of the hot tub and then quickly pushed it out of his mind. At the end of the prayer the team took to the field.

He glanced over towards the cheerleaders and caught Kim's eye. She waggled her pom poms at him. He waved to her. The Middleton High School Cheerleaders had painted their faces the school colors half blue and half white. Ron smiled as he thought about how much Kim looked like Braveheart.

The team gathered in a huddle and continued the chant from the locker room, "WHO ARE WE? MAD DOGS! WHO ARE WE? MAD DOGS!"

The team clasped hands in the center of the circle. Barkin reached in and put his hand on top of the others, "PLAY 60 HARD MINUTES OF FOOTBALL, PLAY EVERY DOWN LIKE IT'S YOUR LAST, NEVER QUIT, NEVER GIVE UP, NOW LET'S GO SHOW ROCKWOOD WHO WE ARE!"

**

* * *

**

The Middleton High School cheerleaders finished their routine. The stood watching the Rockwood Kewpies's perform theirs. They could hear the chant from the group that was twice the size of theirs.

"_Middleton cheerleaders are fat and lazy…_

_Middleton cheerleaders graze like sheep…_

_Middleton cheerleaders are notoriously easy…"_

The girls looked to each other. Tara looked at Kim, "Are they cheering what I think they're cheering."

Kim nodded her head and sneered, "Oh yea…"

Bonnie barred her fangs, "I say we don't wait till the games over to kick they're asses."

Jim and Tim eyed the Rockwood mascot. A teen dressed in a red and white football uniform topped with a large bulbous baby doll head. "What kind of freak is that? " Tim asked.

"I don't know, but I know we can take him." Jim said eagerly.

Kim was angry but knew enough that now wasn't the right time for a fight, "OK, let's let it go…for now."

**

* * *

**

Middleton won the coin toss and chose to receive the kick from the Rockwood Kewpie Dolls. Ron looked across at the large team dressed in their home red jerseys and white pants. They had to have a team that was twice as big as theirs. Something told him this game wasn't going to be as easy as some of their others had been.

Barkin waved over Coach Oswald over to him, "Oswald, you know what those cheatin' so and so's are going to do?"

Coach Oswald nodded his head, "Try to hurt as many of our players and grind us down by attrition."

Barkin looked around quietly to make sure he wouldn't be overheard by his team, "Put a list together of who you think could play both ways, offense and defense."

"You got it Coach." Oswald said as he walked off to get the offense ready to go.

Steve Barkin had spent the week quietly petitioning the Colorado High School Activities Association to only allow Rockwood the same number of players that Middleton had. Hoping to avoid a coming blood bath, as the bigger school pummeled the smaller one.

His request was refused. Rockwood was considered a 3a school no matter that they had accidently under reported their school's student population in order to maintain their dominance of the 3a division in all competitive sports. So Middleton High School would just have to play the cards they were dealt.

Long time coach Dan Harding slapped Steve Barkin on the back at the meeting and told him to worry about his football team and to quit crying. That lit the slow burn fuse of Steve Barkin as he returned to his team.

Barkin now stood looking across the field at his coaching adversary, _"Well Coach Harding, you're in for a surprise. I didn't come all this way to lose."_

Coach Barkin caught sight of number 7. He never thought Stoppable would make it this far into the season, never thought he would do well at what is considered a man's game, but he did. Barkin now had a grudging respect for the strange kid, "Stoppable!" Ron turned to face him, "Go out there and kick the pig!"

Ron grinned and took to the field to receive the kick at the 5 yard line, _"All right, that was weird. What is this pig and why do I want to kick it?"_

He thrust the saying out of his head, deciding that Barkin was exercising some sort of weird form of rhetoric. He focused on his breathing, in and out, in and out. He watched the steam from his breath as it came out of his mouth on this cold evening. Focusing on the coming kick he pushed in his mouth piece. He watched the red and white clad Kewpies line up for the kick, and waited.

The Kewpies kicker ran forward and kicked the ball. It sailed high into the air. Losing the ball momentarily in the bright lights before spotting it, he ran forward and caught the ball on the fly. He looked ahead of him. The special teams unit was blocking in a wedge, pushing the Kewpies to the left.

Ron kicked it into high gear as he ran down the left sideline. He could feel someone gaining on him but wasn't sure if it was a team mate or a Kewpie. He darted to the left. Feeling the ever so slight feel of finger tips on his jersey he knew it was pursuit. He made the player miss as he ran into the in zone.

A chorus of boos greeted him. Ron was stunned at the noise. The overly partisan Rockwood crowd was screaming obscenities at him. Ron grinned and pumped his fist as he ran back to the Middleton sidelines, "Booyah, they hate me…too cool."

"88 yard kick return for a touchdown for Middleton High School by number 7 Ronald Stoppable." The loud voice of the PA announcer boomed over the speakers.

Ron made it to the bench to high fives and slaps on the back. Block pointed to the diamond vision as it was showing a replay of Ron's touchdown run. He gasped as he saw just how close he was to getting tackled. Then he smiled, "BOOYAH!"

The momentum of the game was favoring Middleton. After they kicked the ball back to the Kewpies, they went 3 plays and out. Ron took to the field again hoping for another return for a touchdown. This time the kick would come his way. The punter kicked the ball down the sideline, letting it bounce out of bounds on the 28 yard line.

Block came into the huddle, "7 toss, 7 toss, on two, on two, MAD DOGS!"

The team broke from the huddle. Ron put in his mouth piece, took his position at running back lining up 6 yards behind block. He looked over the defense and thought they all looked really large. He put the thought out of his mind as he listened to the Block Call the signals.

"DOWN..BLUE 10, BLUE 10, HUTT, HUTT…" Block pulled away from the center and turned towards Ron.

Ron running to the left took the pitch from Block. He had just tucked the ball away when his whole life exploded, "BANG!"

**

* * *

**

Coach Ron took a drink of coffee, "I had never been hit so hard in my life. It was like running into a moving truck. I have played in the NFL, I have been kicked by horses, real and robotic, fought super villains, taken Sheila Go's best shots. I have never been hurt as badly as I was hurt on that first play from scrimmage."

Monique nodded, "There was a boom that reverberated all over that stadium. Ron's mother went bananas."

"That must have been some hit." Eaton said.

"I went through my college physical and found out that it had actually cracked my sternum. The fellow that hit me was number 77, Lucas Stimson. He later played for the New England Patriots. He used to tell me he never got a chance to hit anyone like that again. It was one of his disappointments from his playing days." Ron said with a grin.

"She kept screaming, you killed him, you killed my Doron over and over again. Ron wasn't moving and that's what we all thought too." Monique said sadly as she remembered the play.

"Doron?"

Ron shrugged and explained, "Mom couldn't have any more kids after I was born so…Doron is Hebrew for gift. I was my mother's gift."

**

* * *

**

"YOU KILLED HIM, YOU KILLED MY DORON…" Constance Stoppable wailed at the top of her lungs.

"Connie, calm down I'm sure the boys fine." Walter Stoppable said nervously.

The team trainers ran onto the field. They knelt by a very frightened looking Ron Stoppable who couldn't breathe. He gasped and gasped trying to draw air into his lungs. Mr. Melrose knelt down beside him and pulled his mouth piece out, "You had the wind knocked out of you. If you can calm down it will return shortly."

Ron nodded as tears ran down his face. Soon his diaphragm relaxed and air returned to his burning lungs. He closed his eyes as the trainer felt around on him for other damage. He shook his head no as he was asked if various body parts hurt or not. So far it was only painful to breathe.

"Do you think you can get up?" Mr. Melrose asked.

He nodded his head and gasped, "Yea"

Melrose and student team equipment manager Ron Reeger helped Ron to his feet. There was polite applause as he was helped off the field. Mr. Melrose took Ron over to the bench and put an oxygen mask on him, "Use that for a bit, until your head clears."

Kim looked up and could see that Ron walking off the field had done nothing to calm his mother down. She motioned for Monique to come over, "Tell Ron's mother I'm going to check on him."

Monique nodded, "He didn't look very good when he came off the field."

"Yea…" Kim said nervously.

She left Monique glancing at the field when the crowd cheered. Middleton had gone three plays and out. They had to punt now. She could see Ron sitting on the bench with his eyes closed breathing with the aid of an oxygen tank. She snuck up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to look at her. The look he gave her broke her heart. She leaned forward and whispered, "You OK?"

He nodded his head but said nothing. It hurt to breathe, but he said nothing as he didn't want to worry Kim. Or his mother, who he was sure, was losing her mind in the stands.

Kim leaned in even closer now and whispered, "I love you too."

A red flush went through Ron's face as he broke out into a grin. Kim knew he was going to be alright and patted him on his shoulder pads before going back to let his mother know he was going to be alright.

It didn't take Rockwood long to score and as Barkin had feared the injuries were starting to mount. Not only was Ron Stoppable hurt but an offensive lineman, a defensive lineman and a cornerback. He was getting ready to call in another player to receive the kickoff until he saw number 7 putting his helmet back on. _"Kid's tough, I'll give him that."_

Ron glanced up at the scoreboard as he took his place on the field, _"Wish they hadn't scored."_

The kick went away from Ron, bouncing along the ground until Ron could catch up to it and try to make a return. He was quickly wrapped up at the 22 yard line. The offense took to the field. Block nodded to him as he called the play, "7 Counter, 7 Counter, On Two, On Two…MAD DOGS!"

Ron lined up again behind Block again. This time he was nervous, a running play to the left, another chance for big number 77 to hurt him again. Block called out the signals, "DOWN, BLUE 14, BLUE 14, HUTT, HUTT…"

The ball was snapped Ron hesitated for just a moment to allow the right guard to pull out from his position and move to the left to block for him. Block stuck the ball in his stomach as Ron ran in behind the guard. The play went nowhere as he was quickly wrapped up and tackled.

Ron spat his mouth piece out as he looked at the yard marker. He got maybe two yards on the carry if he was lucky. He returned to the huddle, _"Hope we don't run to the left anymore."_

Block came to the huddle, "ON ONE, ON ONE, 22 Blast Pass Cougar, 22 Blast Pass Cougar…MAD DOGS!"

"_Quick slant pass to the right, great I'm going to have to try and block 77."_ Ron thought sadly as he stuffed the soggy hard plastic mouth piece back into his mouth..

"DOWN…."

Block didn't have a chance to call out his signal as big number 77 came across the line and creamed Block. Ron stood there stunned as yellow flags rained down all over the field. Ron came to his senses as he ran to Block, "You alright?"

"Yea…I think." Block said uneasily as he got to his feet.

Block walked to the sidelines while the referee made the penalty call, "OFFSIDES ON THE DEFENSE 5 YARDS, UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS NUMBER 77, 15 YARDS…First down Middleton."

The yardage was marked off as Block came jogging back into the huddle. He leaned in, "DOUBLE COUNT, DOUBLE COUNT, 22 Blast Pass Cougar, 22 Blast Pass Cougar, on On Two, On Two…MAD DOGS!"

Ron put his mouth piece in as they took their positions, _"On four, double count."_

Block smiled as he looked over the line, "Down, Blue, Blue, Blue, Blue…"

On the second Blue, Lucas Stimson came crashing across the line again. He grabbed Block and was prepared to slam him to the artificial turf as hard as he could. He held Block high in the air before falling over backwards as he felt his legs being taken out from under him.

Ron had thrown his body into the back of Lucas's knees sending the big lineman and Block falling over backwards. Yellow flags flew in everywhere. Ron got to his feet and was punched in the back of the head by another Rockwood defensive player. Now the fight was on, both Middleton and Rockwood's benches cleared. Ron found himself on the bottom of a pile. He saw the crotch of a Rockwood's player and punched him as hard as he could in his protective cup.

A loud groan erupted from the player. The pile was slowly being uncovered. Ron sprang quickly to his feet and ran back to the huddle. He turned to see Coach Barkin and Coach Harding screaming at one another at midfield as the officials tried in vain to separate the two schools.

"WHAT'S THE IDEA OF TRYING TO HURT MY BEST PLAYERS BARKIN!" Harding screamed at Barkin.

"OH, I WEEP BIG SLOPPY TEARS FOR YOU. " Barkin screamed back at the man.

The Referee stepped between them as Harding reared back to punch Barkin. Steve Barkin grinned happily at the man, "DO IT OLD MAN AND YOU'LL BE EATING YOUR MEALS THROUGH A STRAW!"

"That's enough, that's enough…Both of you back to your benches, this ends NOW!" The Referee said as he took control of the situation.

Barkin strode purposefully back to the side line. He could hear the other players laughing, _"Man, did you see Stoppable cheap shot that guy? Yea it was great! Man, I thought Barkin was going to lay the old man out."_

He smiled, _"Now the team is cooking with fire."_

Block smiled as he stood in the huddle. The Rockwood team trainers were working on two players. Lucas Stimson and the boy Ron had punched in the crotch. Block leaned over to him and whispered, "Did you do all that?"

Ron nodded his head, "Yep"

The Quarterback laughed, "Excellent."

"_WE HAVE MULTIPLE INFRACTIONS ON THE PLAY…OFF SIDES NUMBER 77 OF THE DEFENSE, PERSONAL FOUL NUMBER 77 OF THE DEFENSE, UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS… PERSONAL FOUL NUMBER 7 OF THE OFFENSE, ILLEGAL BLOCK TO THE BACK...PERSONAL FOUL NUMBER 74 OF THE DEFENSE, BLOW TO THE HEAD… PERSONAL FOUL NUMBER 22 OF THE OFFENSE, ILLEGAL USE OF HANDS TO THE FACE…PENALTIES WILL OFFSET, THE OFFSIDES WILL BE MARKED OFF, 1__ST__ DOWN MIDDLETON."_

The injured players were removed from the field and the game continued. Block called a new play, "7 Fire, 7 Fire, Silent Count, Silent Count…MAD DOGS!"

Ron fought back a grin as he put his mouth piece in, as they broke the huddle. Barkin was going for the throat with one of his trick plays. Block moved behind center, "DOWN, BLUE 14, BLUE 14…"

Block then stood up from center, threw his hands into the air and walked backwards to the Middleton bench. Ron helped sell the fake by throwing his hands up too. Suddenly the ball was hiked directly to Ron who ran around the right side as the Mad Dog offensive line as they attacked the unsuspecting Kewpies. Now Ron was into the puzzled defensive secondary and racing for the end zone.

He pumped his fist as he ran untouched into the end zone, "BOOYAH!"

Coach Harding was out at midfield screaming at the officials, "WHERE'S THE FLAG, WHERE'S THE FLAG?"

The Referee held up his hands as he approached the angry coach, "There was no time out called, 7 is an eligible ball carrier. The quarterback moved backwards not forwards, the play is legal…Touchdown Middleton."

"THAT'S BULLSHIT AND YOU KNOW IT, I WANT IT REVIEWED, I'M FILING A PROTEST!"

The Referee put his hands on his hips, "…and if you don't get off this field you will be filling that protest from the stands."

Coach Steve Barkin stood on the sidelines with his hands on his hips, _"whose crying now old man."_

Ron returned to the bench and was inundated with hugs and high fives. Block pulled him off the bench to wave at the Middleton faithful who were going crazy as they're team was now leading. He smiled and turned back to the Diamond Vision to watch the run, "Awwww yeaaaaa"

"_AFTER FURTHER REVIEW, THE PLAY STANDS AS CALLED ON THE FIELD."_

"42 Yard Touch Down run by number 7 Ronald Stoppable."

Mike Clemmons leaned back in his chair in the press box, "_Stoppable might be an idiot, but that doesn't mean he can't play football. The kids tough, durable for his size, not afraid to fight for his teammates, and he's got over a hundred yards of total offense and we're not out of the first quarter…I think he's worth talking to."_

Long time Colorado coaching legend Dan Harding stalked the sidelines. He was infuriated at the way his team was playing. A much smaller school was beating his dreadnaught of a team and they weren't knocking enough of their players Middleton players out of the game.

He stopped in front of one of the defensive coach, "Bob spread the word, I want 7 on the ground, I want 22 on the ground, I want 14 on the ground on the next series."

"You got it coach."

Steve Barkin stood on the side lines as he watched another of his defensive players laying injured on the field, _"Cheese and crackers, we're going to run out of players at this rate."_

"Stoppable, go in…" He called out.

Ron was sitting on the bench and didn't hear him.

Barkin called out again, "Stoppable, go in."

"Are they punting already?" Ron asked to Coach Oswald.

Coach Oswald frowned, "Ron, we're taking too many injuries. You're going to have to go in and play defense."

Ron blinked, "I don't know how to play defense. I barely know how to play offense."

"STOPPABLE!"

Ron grabbed his helmet and headed onto the field. He ran to the huddle and found Eric Driscole, "What do I do? I never played defense before."

Driscole pointed towards the Middleton sideline, "Whoever lines up over there, cover them and keep them from catching the ball. If it's a running play swarm to the ball and try to make a tackle."

The team broke the huddle and Ron ran towards the sideline to cover a receiver. Number 2 stood on the line of scrimmage looking towards the center. Ron kept an eye on the player. The player then went into motion and ran across the field. Ron ran with him stride for stride on his side of the field.

The ball was snapped and number 2 ran past him. Ron turned to give chase. He had no idea what to do. He had time to figure it out though as the first pass came towards them. Ron caught the receiver and pushed him out of bounds.

Yellow flags flew at him from all directions. Ron shook his head and spat out his mouth piece. Eric walked over to him, "Let him touch the ball before you put your hands on him."

Ron nodded his head.

"OFFENSIVE PASS INTERFERENCE, NUMBER 7, FIRST DOWN ROCKWOOD."

Ron walked backwards with the rest of the defense as Eric explained a few things to him, "You can bump them within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage but only bump them."

"They're going to pick on me aren't they?" Ron asked.

"Yea, probably…" Eric said as they joined the huddle.

Ron had never even been in a practice huddle with the defense so the plays were all foreign to him. Eric looked at the group, "46 Maniac, Twins Right, 46 Maniac, Twins Right...MAD DOGS."

They broke the huddle once again. Ron looked to Eric for help. He grabbed Ron by the face mask, "Same as last time just don't draw a penalty."

He had already figured that. The ball was now on the Middleton 33 yard line because of him and he didn't want to be the cause of them getting any closer to the end zone. He backed away from the line of scrimmage, thinking for sure the ball was going to come his way and he wanted to make sure the receiver didn't get behind him.

The ball was snapped, the receiver ran straight for Ron before veering off to the right. Ron broke to try and catch him. The ball was on the way and well over their heads as it fell incomplete 10 yards past them. He turned and looked, the Kewpies quarterback was getting to his feet. Apparently one of the Mad Dogs had got to him and forced him to throw the ball early.

Ron ran eagerly to join the huddle. This would work out alright as long as he didn't really have to defend anyone. Eric called a new formation, "46 Maniac, Pro Left, 46 Maniac, Pro Left...MAD DOGS!"

He put his mouth piece in as he ran to the sidelines to cover his man. Number 2 had rejoined the game and was lining up opposite of Ron. Before Ron was ready, Rockwood went on a quick count. Number 2 drilled Ron knocking him backwards. He could see a running play headed to his side. He turned to pursue the runner only to be blocked again. Fortunately the Mad Dog line was able to string the runner out towards Ron and tackle him.

Ron glanced at the down marker, _"3__rd__ and what? 3__rd__ and 6, they'll be throwing. They'll be throwing my way." _He thought nervously as he returned to the huddle.

Eric looked at him and then called the formation, "46 Red Rush, 46 Red Rush...MAD DOGS!"

They all clapped their hands as they broke the huddle. Ron stuffed his mouth piece back in as he lined up opposite of number 2 again. He was breathing easier as he watched the two linebackers sneak up close to the line to rush the quarterback.

He saw the ball snapped, this time Ron tried to stuff number 2 at the line but he blew by him. Ron turned to pursue him. The ball was now in the air. Number 2 reached out and caught the pass. Ron threw himself at his feet tripping him up.

Rockwood players were celebrating as Ron looked up and saw that he had tackled him on the 15 yard line. He winced and returned to the huddle. Eric grabbed him by the face mask after watching the play on the Diamond Vision, "You aren't good enough to play man for man. Give him a cushion and try to keep him from breaking a big one on you."

Ron nodded as the huddle formed. Eric called a new formation, "46, Left Contain, 46 Left Contain...MAD DOGS!"

The Mad Dogs chant was becoming weaker and weaker as the Rockwood team marched down the field. Ron lined up well off the line this time. The ball was snapped and the quarterback handed it to their big full back. The man hit the line and broke through. Ron fought off the block of number 2 and raced towards the full back. He could only get a hand on his jersey and pull it a little as the man ran in for a touch down.

He felt sick as he watched the Rockwood players celebrate in the end zone. He heard his name called and he was being motioned towards the sidelines and he was more than happy to leave the field.

Coach Oswald and Coach Travers motioned for him to join them on the bench. Coach Travers had a three ring binder, "I've printed up some screen caps of the pass plays that came your way."

Ron nodded before looking towards the Diamond vision as everyone on the Middleton side of the field began to cheer. Oswald and Travers turned to look as well. The Diamond Vision screen that was showing a replay of the touchdown run was now black. Suddenly a message started to scroll across it.

"YO BITCHES, Mad Dogs Rulezzzzzzzz...Rockwood Kewpie's Blow Donkey's."

Ron turned towards the cheerleaders just in time to see Jim and Tim hurriedly stuffing a laptop computer into a bag. He smiled as he heard Coach Oswald and Coach Travers commenting on how someone was going to be seeing a lot of detention.

Panic gripped Ron, "It wasn't me, I was right here."

Coach Oswald shook his head, "Not you Ron..."

Travers refocused Ron's attention back to the book, "Alright, this is the play you got the flag on. You lined up right across from number 2. "Ron nodded his head, "Alright next play was an incomplete pass, you lined up off the line and had him contained." Ron nodded his head, "Running play, on the line, he blocked you out of the play." Ron nodded again. "Now you're on the line...He gets by you and breaks for some good yardage before you can run him down. See a pattern?"

Ron nodded his head, "When I play on the line I get beat?"

"Exactly, so the next defensive series we want you off the line. We're going to have the free safety. Zac Wilkins will cheat over your way a bit to give you some help." Coach Travers explained.

Ron frowned, "I have to play defense again?"

Coach Oswald leaned in, "At the rate they're injuring us, you won't be the only one for long." He said sadly.

"STOPPABLE, GO TAKE THE KICKOFF." Barkin screamed.

Ron put on his helmet and took the field. He waited for the kick. The Rockwood kicker this time kicked the ball on the ground. The ball tumbled towards one of the Middleton players before he fell on it at the 30 yard line.

"_They don't want me to take handle the ball on the kickoffs. Afraid I'll take the rock to the house or kick the pig or...something..."_ Ron thought happily as he waited for the offense to join him.

Block clapped his hands, "It's tied, let's go get us another touchdown. 39/7 Sweep Right, 39/7 Sweep Right, On Two, On Two...MAD DOGS!"

Now Ron felt comfortable. He was on offense again. He lined up behind Block and waited for the ball to be snapped. Block barked out the signals, "DOWN, BLUE 12, BLUE 12, HUTT...HUTT..."The ball was snapped and as Block tried to pull out from the center. The left guard stepped backwards on to Blocks foot. He started to fall and pitched the ball wildly towards Ron.

The pitch was behind Ron who quickly turned and fell on the ball. The whistle blew as red jersey after red jersey piled on top of Ron. He could feel them punching him and then he felt a hand inside his helmet gouging his eye. Ron let out a scream, but still held the ball.

Coach Dan Harding smiled as he watched his players untangle from the pile and the little running back number 7 lay on ground, "Probably won't see him again this half. What do you think Bob?"

Bob Hayes the assistant coach nodded his head, "They probably beat him up pretty good."

Mr. Melrose and Ron Reeger made another trip onto the field for a down Mad Dog player. Mr. Melrose bent down, "What happened."

Ron was sobbing, "My eye, he put my eye out."

"Move your hand, let me see it..." Mr. Melrose asked trying to pull Ron's hands away from his face.

"No, it hurts..."

He finally let the trainer have a look. Ron was terrified by what he might see. Visions of an eyeball hanging out the socket filled his mind. Mr. Melrose took and look and saw that the eye was red, "Oh that isn't too bad, let's get back to the sideline and get you looked at."

Ron got unsteadily to his knees. Ron Reeger grabbed an elbow along with Mr. Melrose, to help him up. As with the first time Ron went down the crowd applauded politely as he was helped off the field. He let them guide him over to the bench as he was keeping his eyes closed tightly.

Kim saw him walking off then turned to the other girls, "Alright, let's do the fight cheer."

"_Mad Dogs...let's fight tonight_

_  
Beat those...Kewpies down right_

_  
Mad Dogs...Beat those Kewpies_

_  
Mad Dogs... Let's WIN this fight"_

They jumped up and down cheering and waving their pom poms. Then they stopped to listen to the Rockwood cheerleaders.

"_Middleton cheerleaders have no class_

_Middleton cheerleaders kiss a lot of...oh my_

_Middleton cheerleaders have big fat..."_

Kim's green eyes were a blaze underneath the blue and white face paint as she watched the Rockwood cheerleaders face the crowd and show them their bottoms. She turned to the other girls, "We are definitely going to catch them in the parking lot. Jim, Tim..."

The pep puppies raced forward and saluted their sister. Kim grinned malevolently, "Boys, find out where the Rockwood's cheerleaders buses are parked. I think we will have to have a little talk with them after the game."

Jim and Tim looked to one another, "Cool we got dibs on the freak in the plastic dolls head."

Kim never lost the tight grin, "Not a problem..."

Mr. Melrose helped Ron off with his helmet and handed it to Reeger, "Put an eye shield on this helmet." Then he turned his attention back to the injured Ron, "Can you open your eye for me so I can flush it out?"

They worked on Ron's eye as he tried to figure out what was happening on the field. He heard Barkin call for the punting unit. He sighed as he realized they had gone three and out. Mr. Melrose squirted another bottle of solution into his eye. It felt much better. Melrose pulled back from him, "Think you can still play?"

Ron's left eye was twitching and tearing up. He could hardly see anything out of it. He smiled at Mr. Melrose as best he could, "Where's my helmet."

"Here it is..."Reeger said as he passed Ron the helmet.

Ron put it on and walked to the field to go out with the defense. Mr. Barkin spotted him, "Stoppable, you alright?"

Ron nodded his head and found Eric, "How do I look?"

"Like you had your brains stomped out." He replied.

"That good, eh'." Ron said with a grin.

Middleton punted the ball back to Rockwood. The defensive unit made its way back onto the field. Dan Harding spotted the number 7 returning to the game and pointed at him, "You guys didn't do a good enough job, he's back."

Eric counted his players to make sure there were 11 and then called the formation, "46 Red Rush, 46 Red Rush...MAD DOGS!"

Ron sprinted out to where number 2 was lined up on the 30 yard line. He quickly backed about 5 yards off the line of scrimmage and waited. The ball was snapped and number 2 ran forward and then made a quick hitch to the right. Ron stayed with him but behind him. He wasn't going to beat him deep again. He saw the ball in the air going to a running back. He was almost tackled near the 35 but he shook the man off.

Ron turned to try and make it back to help but was pushed in the back. Ron fell to the ground and smiled when he saw the yellow flags flying in the air, "Gotcha!"

"PERSONAL FOUL, ILLEGAL BLOCK TO THE BACK, NUMBER 2, OFFENSE, FIFTEEN YARDS FROM THE SPOT OF THE FOUL." Was the call announced by the Referee.

During the series Rockwood was able to march the ball down the field. Penalties were hurting them but they were running the time off the board. Now they had a 3rd and 10 from the Middleton 25 yard line. Ron looked up at the clock and winced, _"We have to stop them, don't want to go into halftime down by a touchdown."_

Eric was looking at the clock too, "46 Jailbreak, 46 Jailbreak...Mad Dogs!"

Ron looked at Zac Wilkins. He was smiling, "Everybody rushes, get on the line and when the balls snapped, charge. Meet you at the quarterback."

He grinned, _"Well that sounds cool." _

Ron lined up facing a smiling number 2, "I'm gonna beat you long."

"I'm going to beat you short." Ron replied happily before putting his mouth piece back in.

The ball was snapped and Ron ran past the receiver towards the quarterback. He saw Mad Dog defensive players coming from his left, turned to run to the right only to see Ron charging at him at full speed. He quickly threw the ball out of bounds just before Ron and Zac Wilkins hit him taking him to the ground.

They jumped up looking for flags but there were none. The defensive unit left the field holding the Kewpies to a field goal attempt. Coach Oswald and Coach Travers waved the defensive unit over to the bench. Coach Travers pulled out his 3 ring binder, "We got them where we want them. They're falling in love with the pass. They only ran the ball twice on that last series."

The Middleton crowd groaned as the field goal attempt was good. Ron glanced at the score board, _"17-14, Kewpies."_

"OK, Stoppable, how many times have you seen number 21 lining up on your side?" Coach Travers asked.

Ron thought about it, "Twice in this series and once in the last series."

"Right, now look at this." He said as he showed them a picture in the book that was taken from the coach's box. "You're giving him about a 5 yard or so cushion and they're throwing screen passes to him. He's getting good yards against you isn't he?"

Ron nodded his head.

"Next time you see him line up on your side. Give him the same cushion but instead of breaking back on the snap, I want you to run towards him. If you can get to him fast enough, you may, may, just be able to pick one off."

"Stoppable get on the field." Barkin shouted.

Ron nodded his head, "Sorry I have to go field the kick."

"Get out there, I'll get with you before the next series." Coach Travers said.

Before he could take to the field, Barkin pulled him over, "Stoppabe, be ready, whoever gets the ball is going to turn and throw it to you."

He nodded his head. This was another of Barkin's trick plays. They had ran the play all week and Ron was confident that he could run it well tonight. The Kewpies were swarming to the ball and if they swarmed the wrong guy, good things could happen.

Ron took his position on the 5 yard line, he started bouncing on the balls of his feet and waving his arms up and down to try and get the Middleton crowd into the game. He stopped as he watched the kicker set the ball on the tee. The kick was once again a line drive kick that bounced along the ground. A Middleton player fielded it at the 30 yard line. He turned and pitched it back to Ron who was already running at top speed.

He caught the ball and sprinted past the kick coverage. The kicker came across and tried to tackle Ron but he wiggled free only to have the kicker cling on to his jersey. Soon the rest of the team was on him and Ron was taken down at the Rockwood 45 yard line.

"Almost had another one." Block said happily as he came onto the field.

Ron had his hands on his hips bent over breathing heavily nodded.

Block grinned as the huddle formed, "Coach Barkin said take a shot, so we're going for it all. Everyone goes except Ron. Stay home and block, On Two, On Two...Mad Dogs!"

"I'm going to kill you number 7." Lucas Stinson screamed as he rejoined the game.

Ron looked at the big angry man and swallowed hard, _"I am going to be in so much pain later."_ He thought wearily.

This is what Block enjoyed doing the most. Improvising a totally unscripted play, drawn up in the dirt, with no way to predict how it will turn out. He took his position underneath the center, "DOWN...BLUE 18, BLUE 18...HUTT...HUTT..."

Ron saw Brick take the snap and back up past him to throw a long pass. He saw big number 77 crashing through the line, headed not for Block but for him. Gripped in terror something unforeseen and mystical happened.

His eyes began to glow blue. Ron jumped high into the air, twisting as Lucas Stinson passed under him to land gracefully out of harms way. Number 77 stopped and turned to look at Ron, but he was gone.

Block threw the pass deep down field only to have it picked off by Rockwood. Ron arrived just after the tackle. Rockwood now had the ball on they're own 23 yard line. Lucas Stinson ran down Ron, "How did you do that?"

Ron shrugged, "Do what?"

Stinson walked away shaking his head as Eric Driscole showed up, "Man that was some move."

"Yea, well..." Ron said evasively.

The defensive unit took the field again. Ron lined up across from number 2 once again. The kid looked like a grey hound to him, lean and fast. The Rockwood quarterback took the snap, number 2 ran towards Ron as he backed up on the play. He made a fake to the left which Ron bought.

Ron was now trying to catch up to him as he was behind him and running a post route down the sidelines. He looked over his shoulder not at Ron but at the ball coming to him from the air. He reached out and caught it. There was no way Ron could run him down as he followed him into the end zone. He cursed himself as he ran off the field. He let the man get behind him and they got burned. Now after the extra point they would be 10 points down.

Coach Oswald clapped his hands and waived Ron over, "Don't let it get you down. You're doing your best."

Ron nodded, "Yea, I just wish..."

"Don't start getting down. We need you focused." Coach Oswald told him quietly.

"Stoppable go take the kickoff."

He nodded his head as he retook the field after the extra point was made. He glanced up at the scoreboard, _"Middleton 14, Rockwood 24...10 points down."_ He thought sadly.

Ron stood at the 5 yard line confident that they weren't going to kick it to him again. He had a lot of yardage and a touchdown running kicks back but hardly any from the line of scrimmage. He glanced at the clock, _"1:33 left in the half. Not enough time to get the ball downfield."_

The Rockwood kicker kicked the ball. Ron looked for it. He realized too late it was a onsides kick. Ron ran forward signaling that Middleton had the ball. This always seemed to work. At least it did during the season. It didn't work during the championship game however as a red jersey Rockwood player emerged from the pile with the football.

The defensive unit came back out onto the field. There was no spring in their step. Ron closed his eyes, _"The bigger team is getting ready to roll over the top of us_." He thought. The thought sickened him as he reached the huddle.

Eric looked at the players and called the formation, "46 twins right, 46 twins right...Mad Dogs."

They clapped their hands without the usual enthusiasm. Ron ran down to cover his wide receiver. He looked up and saw not number 2 but number 21. Ron's senses were now heightened. He took two steps back from the usual 5 yard cushion and glanced at the quarterback. The quarterback's eyes grew large as he spotted Ron playing so far off the man.

Ron saw the quarterback take the snap from center. Ron charged forward as the quarterback threw the ball. Number 21 waited for the ball as a white blur shot past his eyes. He turned to look as number 7 vanished into the distance.

The Middleton section broke into cheers as Ron ran the interception into the end zone. The defensive unit met him as he was coming off the field. Eric Driscole picked him up into the air. He had reignited the fires in the Mad Dog football team. He looked towards the scoreboard that now read Middleton 21, Rockwood 24, 58 seconds to play in the half." Suddenly it didn't seem like they were losing the game at all now.

He sat on the bench with a cup of water as he watched the interception on the Diamond Vision, _"Booyah, this is so cool. I hope we can win this."_

Middleton kicked the ball off and tackled the Rockwood runner at the 15 yard line. Barkin told Ron to stay on the bench and take a breather. Ron grinned happily as looked for his red headed girl friend who was painted up like Braveheart.

Now the rattled Rockwood team decided to take a knee and run out the clock. They figured it was better to take a 3 point lead into halftime rather than risk another interception by number 7.

* * *

A/N: Chapter 3 will have the rest of the game, the aftermath and the rise of the Ron Dog! 


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Many thanks to MNR68, Thurston, MoonEasterBunny, Scotty Boi, AtomicFire, RI100014, Drakonus Aurous, for their reviews. Sorry about the delay on this chapter. I was in Chicago for the Holiday weekend.**

**I'm going to break from this story for a bit to work on another chapter of Ronnie Diamond and to try and finish up No Touchie, No Feelie. My reviews and chapters may be a bit slow in coming now as my work has declared Fan Fiction a inappropriate site. So forgive me if you don't hear from me right away.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter, write a review and receive a reply.**

** Bubba  
**

* * *

The Middleton team returned to the locker room. It was warm and Ron realized just how cold it was outside as he warmed up, pain stated flaring up in different parts of his body. Even his teeth hurt. 

The coaches began to meet with their units. They made Ron go sit with the defense to try and absorb as much as he possibly could in 15 minutes. Coach Travers sat down with the defense with his book of screen captures, "Eric, pass, pass, pass, that's all their doing. When we have our best success is when we're on the blitz. We have success."

He turned the page to another screen shot. "Now this is what I think they're going to do, they're going to do a lot of motion, try to spread us out. What we're going to do is blast the gaps. Stoppable if number 2 or 21 goes in motion, when you reach Zac, he's going to shadow you. He's going to go into coverage. You're going to the quarterback. Every pass play, I want you in his face."

Ron nodded his head, "So if number 21 comes back my way, I give him the cushion?"

"No, they won't test you on the screen again. Keep the cushion. If there is no motion or if they send a back in motion, key on your assignment. Keep the receiver in front of you." Travers explained.

Coach Oswald sat down with the offensive unit with the playbook, "Block, we need to get Ron into space. He's getting creamed in the backfield. I think he only has 48 yards rushing, not good for us. We're going to a 2 back set. So play action pass, try to hit him in the flats. That should keep the defense honest. Keep the defense from flooding the line."

Brick nodded as thought about the various pass plays that involved Ron, "Right Weaker Goober, Dog Right Smash. Shovel Pass, Right Screen Read, Right Taller Goober A in Sprint Left Pick…"

Steve Barkin was using the rest room, from inside he could hear Coach Harding through the HVAC duct work screaming at his players for not injuring enough of Middleton's key players. Barkin leaned back against the stool, _"Cheese and Crackers, they're doing a pretty good job far as I can tell. Stoppable's been down twice, I've lost a Simpson at nose tackle and both safeties. Stoppable on defense, now that is terrifying. We have to move the ball on offense, get Stoppable out in the open where he can maneuver."_

Barkin frowned as he heard Coach Harding refer to him as Magilla Gorilla in a cheap suit, _"That old man is going down...hard!"_

He finished his business and walked into the Middleton locker room. He motioned for his players to come gather around, "Now I saw something out there I don't want to ever see again. Near the end of the half I thought I saw a team full of quitters. We are not out of this game, thanks to a timely interception we're only 3 points down. SO DON'T QUIT!"

Barkin looked to Ron, "DON'T QUIT!"

He looked at Block, "DON'T QUIT!"

Block nodded his head, "Don't quit."

Ron nodded his head, "Don't quit."

Soon other players were repeating the phrase, "Don't quit..." The volume began to rise as it became a chant, "DON'T QUIT, DON'T QUIT, DON'T QUIT, DON'T QUIT"

Barkin looked around the room at the team, "THIRTY MINUTES OF HARD NOSED FOOTBALL AND WE WILL BEAT THEM!"

The team returned to life. Everyone was clapping and chanting, "DON'T QUIT!"

Steve Barkin was doing his best not to jump up and down with his players. He was as excited as anyone. He had the state champions for the last 3 years on their heels. Even though they were losing the Mad Dogs could smell blood in the water. The second half was to be their half.

The team stormed back onto the field. Steve Barkin had returned their razor's edge. Barkin made a daring decision in the locker room. They were to kick the ball off to Rockwood for the second half. Instead it would be an onside kick. He had only informed the special teams unit. He wanted to sell the fact they were going to kick off so he wanted the offensive unit to behave normally.

Ron took his seat on the bench clapping his hands, _"Don't quit, Don' quit, Don't quit kicking the pig...Booyahhhhhhhhh"_

He leaned back on the seat and watched the kickoff. He looked down the field to the Rockwood's kick return man. He looked confused, then he ran forward. Ron glanced back up the field to the large pile of bodies just in front of the Rockwood's bench.

The Middleton crowd burst into cheers as the signal was given, Middleton football on the Rockwood 42 yard line. Ron pulled his helmet on as he took the field. Block bumped into him on the way to the huddle, "Hell of an onside kick."

Block quickly formed the huddle, "Air Raid, Air Raid, Air Raid, Always On Two, Always On Two, 22/7 Slash, 22/7 Slash, 7 Shovel, 7 Shovel, 7 Right Screen Read, 7 Right Screen Read...MAD DOGS!"

Ron put his mouth piece in, _"No huddle offense, three plays...Reverse, shovel pass, screen right"_

Block looked towards the left and saw Jason Richards 22 nod his way, he turned around looking at Ron who also nodded. Block took his position under center, "DOWN...BLUE, BLUE..."

Ron went into motion to the right Middleton side of the field. He could see the Rockwood free safety moving with him. He stopped moving when he was next to the Devon Lancaster the other wide receiver on the team.

"HUTT...HUTT..." Brick took the snap from the center and pulled out. He saw 22 Jason Richards coming towards him, he handed the ball off to him. Rockwood turned to try and chase the wide receiver but he only had the ball for a second as he handed the ball off to Ron.

Ron took the ball and ran back to the left. He could see daylight opening up there and he ran for it. The Rockwood defense gave chase, they were able to push him out of bounds but not before he gained 18 yards to the Rockwood 24 yard line.

Block was motioning to the other players to hurry up and take their positions. Ron sprinted back behind Block as he started calling signals, "DOWN, BLUE...BLUE...HUTT...HUTT"

Ron ran forward on the snap of the ball. Block faked a handoff as the defense ran past Ron. Just as it looked as though Block was going to sacked he flipped the ball to him. Ron caught it and was hit immediately. He struggled forward for a few more yards taking the ball to the Rockwood 20 yard line.

The Mad Dogs were rolling as they quickly returned to the line. Whistles started blowing to call the play dead. The Referee walked to the center of the field, "TIME OUT CHARGED TO ROCKWOOD."

The Middleton crowd was on its feet. Block grinned, "We threw a scare into them."

A larger boy came in at tight end and told Block the new plays. He convened the huddle, "AIR RAID, AIR RAID, 7 Pitch, 7 Pitch, 14 Roll, 14 Roll, Always On Two, Always On Two...MAD DOGS!"

Ron's eyes were huge. This was the best they had done all night. He looked into the secondary and saw smaller speedier players, _"They're setting up for the pass...good."_

He dropped into his three point stance and watched for the snap as Block called out the signals, _"DOWN, BLUE 88, BLUE 88...HUTT...HUTT..."_

Ron bolted as the ball was snapped. He ran to the right as Block pulled out and pitched him the ball. He caught the pitch and slashed his way through the Rockwood defensive line

A Rockwood safety managed to grab a hold of Ron's jersey and tug him to the ground at the Rockwood 5 yard line.

The team gathered and lined up quickly. As Block called the signals Ron went into motion the left. Then after he stopped moving, Devon Lancaster went into motion crossing the field to take position next to Ron.

Coach Dan Harding spotted the play immediately. He tried to call another time out but Block had already taken the snap. Ron and the other wide receivers ran pass routes into the end zone as Block rolled to his right and walked in for a touchdown untouched.

"TOUCHDOWN MIDDLETON, 5 YARD CARRY BY NUMBER 14 BLOCK FLAGG!"

The Middleton offensive unit mobbed him in the end zone before he shooed them back to the bench. Ron saw Kim but she didn't look at all happy. Then he heard why, just barely audible through his helmet. He could hear the cheers from the rather large cheer squad from across the field.

"_Middleton Cheerleaders don't know how to read_

_Middleton Cheerleaders all have dirty knees..."_

He winced, _"Those poor stupid girls don't have a clue what they're dealing with."_ He thought as he watched Kim punching her right hand into her left three times. Ron nodded his head, _"Yep, yep, they're mothers raised fools."_

Coach Barkin stood across the field watching Dan Harding rant and rave at his players. A smile crossed his face, _"Magilla Gorilla in a cheap suit...I'll have you know this suit isn't cheap." _

Coach Oswald walked up to Barkin, "Want to try another onside kick?" He whispered.

Barkin shook his head, "Best to not press our luck."

The score now stood at Middleton 28, Rockwood 24. The little aches and pains didn't seem so bad now to Ron. He glanced towards Kim again. She was huddled up with her brothers and the other cheerleaders. Ron shook his head, _"No, this isn't going to have a Disney ending."_

Middleton kicked off to Rockwood. The Rockwood ball carrier was immediately swallowed up in a sea of white jerseys. He just barely managed to get the ball to the 20 yard line.

Eric Driscole slapped Ron on his shoulder pads, "Let's go!"

Ron took a quick drink of water before putting his helmet on. He ran out onto the field to the cheers of the Middleton faithful. He joined the defensive huddle for the formation. He already knew his assignment, but he had to know the formation. Eric looked at the group, "46 Jailbreak, 46 Jailbreak...MAD DOGS!"

He ran to his spot to cover his man. Ron was enjoying defense, for some inexcusable reason it didn't seem to hurt as much when he was doing the hitting instead of being the one being hit.

He lined up in front of Number 2 again. This time he didn't look at Ron or say anything to him. Once the signals were being called he went into motion. Ron trailed him as Zac moved in behind Ron.

The ball was snapped, Number 2 ran past Ron going one way. Ron was going the other. He ran blindly towards the quarterback. The quarterback saw him coming and rolled to his right to buy time for a pass. He wasn't quick enough as Ron hit him at full speed, wrapping his arms around him and taking him to the ground hard.

Ron heard a satisfying 'OMPF' as he struck the quarterback. At the end of the play he saw the quarterback still had the ball. He leapt to his feet and punched the air, "BOOYAHHHH"

Eric came over and wrapped his arms around him again, picking him up into the air. They were playing with emotion and intensity. Ron had never felt like this, not even on missions with Kim. The whole hunter killer instinct was taking over.

A flame was burning behind his brown eyes. A look the rest of the defense now had, primitive man roaming in packs hunting ball carriers. Eric called the group for the latest council of war, "46 Maniac Pro Left, 46 Maniac Pro Left...MAD DOGS!"

Ron chanced a glance at scoreboard, _"2nd and 18..." _

Number 2 was waiting for him on the new line of scrimmage, the Rockwood running back number 28 went into motion and lined up just down from Number 2. Ron focused on Number 2, he remembered Coach Travers telling him to ignore the running back.

The ball was snapped, Ron backed up as Number 2 ran towards him before turning towards the center of the field. Ron turned to run with him as the ball hit him on the shoulder pads and bounced out of bounds. He looked one way and then the other. He saw Eric and the rest of the defense clapping and giving the high five to one another.

_"Incomplete pass..." _He thought happily. Then a new more primal thought crept into his head, _"Kim's been jumping around over there all night...I bet she smells...earthy..."_ Ron shook the thought out of his head, _"Focus on the game, not the Ron Dog."_

"46 Jailbreak, 46 Jailbreak...MAD DOGS!" Eric clapped his hands as the Mad Dog defense broke the huddle.

Number 2, and Number 21 positioned themselves in front of Ron. He blinked, _"Who do I cover now?" _

The answer came to him as Number 21 went into motion towards the other side of the field. The ball was snapped and Number 21 ran towards the quarterback. Ron's mind exploded, _"Reverse"_ He charged forward only to be blocked by the running back.

Number 2 took the ball from the quarterback but was quickly contained by the rest of the Middleton Defense. They left the field jumping up and down, they forced Rockwood to go 3 and out. Now they had to punt. Ron ran towards the bench only to have Coach Barkin point downfield. _"Oh yea, punt return."_

Ron waited for the punt. His calf muscle was feeling tight, he fought to ignore it. The kicker punted the ball angling it away from Ron. The kick was short going out of bounds at the Middleton 48 yard line.

The muscle was starting to hurt. He didn't want to go out just yet. He was having too much fun pinning Rockwood back on their side of the field. Block ran up and slapped him on the butt, "Great sack"

Ron nodded, but said nothing as the offense joined the huddle.

Block called the play, "7 Right Screen, 7 Right Screen, On One , On Two...MAD DOGS!"

He stood behind Block as he called the signals. He went into motion towards the Middleton sidelines. He lined up next to number 26, Devon Lancaster. The ball was snapped, Block turned quickly and threw it towards him.

Ron caught the ball, planted his foot to run. Then searing red hot pain shot through his calf muscle. Ron tried to run but could only hop. He was soon tackled after only a few yards. Ron lay on the ground as Mr. Melrose and Ron Reeger came out to him.

Mr. Melrose knelt down, "Where does it hurt?"

"Cramp, right leg." He told him through clenched teeth.

Ron Reeger quickly took off his right shoe and elevated his leg. He forced Ron's curled up toes straight as Mr. Melrose messaged the calf muscle. He looked down at Ron, "You aren't drinking enough fluids are you?"

He shook his head, no. He had been in one series after another. He barely had time to think much less drink fluids. They worked on Ron another minute before Mr. Melrose looked down on him, "Do you think you can get up?"

The pain wasn't as severe now. He nodded, "Yea"

Mr. Melrose and Reeger helped Ron off the ground. He had his arms around both of them as he hobbled off the field. The crowd applauded politely again. He could hear his mother wailing in the stands, _"Thank God he's not dead."_

He grinned and muttered to himself, "Going to have to talk to mom later."

They wrapped a Middleton High School blanket around him before he sat down. Coach Oswald came over as the Reeger and Melrose continued to work on Ron's calf. He handed Ron a bottle of sports drink, "We're going to sit you out a few series. We want you fresh for the 4th quarter."

Kim watched Ron hobble off the field. She turned and told Bonnie she'd be right back. Bonnie shooed her away as she was on her cell phone to Junior. Kim walked into the bench area of the football team. She saw Eric Driscole sitting next to Ron. As she got closer she could catch the drift of the conversation, "Man, we win this game. Kim will be raping you back at the hotel."

Kim's eyes bulged out. She wasn't sure what was more disturbing the fact Eric said it, or the fact that Ron didn't seem at all interested.

Eric saw Kim coming, "Oh, shit...Sorry Kim, just trying to cheer him up a bit."

Her green eyes ablaze behind the purple and white face paint she made it clear in no uncertain terms she was not in a mood to be messed with, "You leave that to me."

"Right, right, see you in a bit." Eric said before quickly vacating the bench.

Kim sat down next to her boyfriend, "How you feeling?"

Ron finished off the sport drink and opened a fresh one, "Wore out." He replied weakly.

Reeger finished taping Ron's calf all the way to his ankle. He pulled Ron's sock over the tape job and the shoe over that before tying it. "There you go Ron. Ready for action."

The blanket was warm and he was becoming drowsy. Kim could see his head roll forward. She knew how to get Ron perked up. She leaned over and whispered into his ear, "I guess you'll be too tired to play in the hot tub later?"

The crowd booed as Ron's head looked up. Block had thrown an interception. He shook his head and said sadly, "I'm letting everyone down."

Kim leaned forward again, "You're the reason we're in the lead, you're the reason we were able to come back."

He shrugged, "Kim, I don't know if I can go back out. I'm exhausted."

"Too bad, I was so looking forward to playing in the hot tub with you after the game." Kim cooed.

Ron straightened up, "Awwww yea, Ron-Man's all about the hot tub action."

Kim snuggled up closer to him, "Do you think I can make the Ron Dog sit up and bark?"

He laughed, "Woof"

"I'll find you in the hotel. After the game, the girls and I have a meeting with the Rockwood Cheerleaders." Kim said with a grin.

Ron lifted an eyebrow, "Are you sure? I mean there is an awful lot of them over there."

She shrugged, "We should only be out numbered 10 to one. Should be a fair fight."

The crowd on the other side of the field erupted into cheers. Ron glanced up at the score board Rockwood 30, Middleton 28. He frowned and said quietly, "I guess we'll just have to score again."

Kim kissed his forehead, "I have to get back. You be careful."

* * *

Monique chuckled, "God, the infamous cheerleader riot." 

Ron laughed, "It was quite a fight."

Eaton grinned, "Oh that explains the mayhem at the end of the broadcast."

"Broadcast, what broadcast?" Ron asked.

"Oh I went to Middleton over the summer. KMLD…" Eaton explained.

"Sports voice of the tri-county area." Ron finished.

Eaton nodded as he dug into his book bag, "Yes, they broadcast all the Mad Dog's games. Station's gone but there's an old man that has the old broadcasts. He's transferring them all to stick." He said as he pulled out a slim 2 inch long flash drive in a plastic case.

Ron took the digital memory and showed it to Monique, who shrugged. He leaned back in his chair, "MYRACLE, GET DOWN HERE...Just put things on CD's, I can do CD's." He grumbled.

A very annoyed Myracle came out to the pool talking into a cell phone, "I didn't do it, why is it always my fault…I swear Shannon, my parents hate me."

"How does this work?" Ron asked.

"Can't you see I'm on the net?" The girl quit protesting and rolled her eyes, "I swear daddy, you're helpless…Not you Shannon, daddy." The girl said as she took the stick away from her father. Took a device tucked inside her bra and inserted it, "There…I swear my dad is useless, mom can be alright sometimes."

Ron glared at her, "Thanks…"

Monique stood up, "I'll go slap her."

"God and then I get to hear them in their bedroom. Yea, trying to have sex…Ewwwww, Dad telling mom, "It's time for Myracle I…I." Whatever that supposed to mean…OWWWWWWWW, MOTHER!" Myracle screeched as her mother slapped her in the back of the head.

"Girl, if you know what's good for you…Get off that thing." Monique said menacingly.

Ron handed the device back to her, "Make it work" He turned his attention back to Eaton, "Sorry, about this. If it goes beyond MP3's and CD's, I'm lost."

Eaton chuckled, "No problems, I guess you're old school then."

"School…yes, old no…" Ron protested.

The girl took the device and inserted into the phone device before handing it back to her father, "Press here for speaker and then just use the touch screen to work through the menus."

Ron looked at the device as if he had just been handed a transdeminsional vortex inducer, "I think I got it."

"Come with me girl, we need to talk." Monique said firmly as she wiggled a finger at her youngest daughter.

Myracle let out a breath and followed her mother inside the house. Monique took her into the family room, "Girl, you are getting way too old for that 'tude of yours."

"Momma…"

"DON'T YOU MAMMA ME!" Monique shouted.

"I'm sorry…" The girl said unconvincingly. Monique brought her hand back to slap her again, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" She said fearfully.

Monique put a finger in her youngest daughters face, "That's better, your house bound for the week."

Myracle watched her mother head back outside to the swimming pool. She extended her lower lip into a pout, "I wish I had a different mother…." She said angrily.

"I'll trade you…"

The young girl jumped and turned to face Annie Possible who was sitting just outside the family room. She sat at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee. Myracle fumed at her, "How long have you been sitting there?"

"Long enough to hear everything, you need to cut your mother a break." Annie said wearily.

"I don't know why she's been so mean lately." Myracle said sadly as she took a seat at the kitchen table.

"She's afraid. You're her only daughter and she's afraid you're getting out of control. Afraid, you'll leave and she'll never see you again. She left from her neighborhood and never saw her family again…She's a good mom, only one I've ever known." Annie said bitterly.

Myracle looked at her, "You ever hear from dad's other woman?"

Annie smiled at the reference. That was how the kids all referred to Kim. She was probably the most universally hated person in the family. She never could see how dad and Monique could tolerate the woman. She shook her head, "Haven't heard from her since I got married. She thought Oscar was beneath me."

"She's an idiot…" Then realizing she just insulted the older woman's mother, she quickly recovered, "I didn't mean…"

"No, you covered it about right. She dropped me and Allison off with dad and Monique when we were 3 months old. Told dad she'd be back in a few hours and didn't come back for three years." Annie said with a bitter chuckle.

Myracle thought about it. She didn't see the red headed woman very often but always hated it when she showed up. She would blow in treat her mother like dirt and when she'd leave. Her mother would always cling on to her father fearful that he just might leave with her. Kim Possible was not very popular around the Stoppable house. It was the boys that hung the title, 'Dad's other woman,' on her when they were in their teens and the title stuck.

"The boys always had it easier. All they had to do was play sports." Annie said breaking the long silence.

"What?" Myracle said as she was brought out of her private thoughts.

Annie chuckled, "When Allison and I were 12, mom went on this bonding kick." She emphasized her point by using air quotes.

Myracle tilted her head, "You still use air quotes."

Annie smirked, "I'm 31 years old, yea I still use air quotes. So sue me."

"Sorry…" Myracle said sheepishly.

The older woman frowned, "I had braces then. Mom looks at me and says, "I had braces when I was your age." I thought gee lucky genes. So mom goes on, 'I got my braces locked when Walter Nelson and I kissed. You ever kiss a boy Annie?"

Myracle howled with laughter, "No way…"

Annie nodded, "Oh yea, so I made the mistake of telling her no. So then she goes into the whole, it's alright to like girls speech. About how her and my father will still love me. Idiot woman thought I was a lesbian until I married Oscar. Then she thought I was just trying to hide my urges."

"No way…" Myracle continued to laugh.

"Oh yea, when I became a cheerleader in high school. She'd smirk and give me the at your age I was saving the world speech. When I was in college it was the, when I was your age I was saving the world speech. When I graduated from college it was the when I was your age I was fighting the World Crime League speech. When I met Oscar, I got the when I was your age I was under secretary of the U.N. speech. After Andy was born it was the when I was your age I was negotiating world peace speech. Then after Elyse was born she proclaimed herself Jessie Freakin Christ and told us how she walked across the Atlantic." Annie finished her speech with a wicked grin.

Myracle laughed and then thought of her twin sister, "So did Allison go with you when you'd go with your mother?"

Annie lifted her eyes as she'd try to remember, "Well, she's a lot like dad. So she'd never say much. She'd just take mom's shit."

"Why didn't she come over last night?"

She thought how to answer the question diplomatically. However diplomacy wasn't her specialty, "Well, Allison…She loves dad and all. It's just mom screwed her up. She just wants to stay home with her husband and kids and stay out of the way. She actually tried to have a relationship with mom. That was a big mistake. Now she just wants to run her little online hat business and take care of her family."

Myracle frowned, "That's so sad. She used to be so much fun to be around, when I was little."

"Yea…When we were little we used to pretend that Grandma Possible was our mother. She's a neat lady. Then again she turned out mom." Annie said sadly.

"Daddy doesn't like the Possible's does he?" Myracle asked.

Annie smiled, "Well, he likes Grandma and Grandpa Possible. Uncle Jim and Uncle Tim, well that's another story."

Myracle chuckled, "Mom says they had some big time arguments."

The older girl looked around to see if anyone was within ear shot, "Uncle Jim and Uncle Tim are obnoxious little turds that think they're smarter than everyone else. They always try to talk down to dad and he stomps them."

"Oh yea…" Myracle said trying to imagine her dad yelling at anyone outside of a football field.

Annie nodded, "The last time we were over at the Possible's before Grandpa died. During Thanksgiving dinner Jim commented on dad's shitty grades in school and how that could explain why my sister and I weren't all getting straight A's like mom.. Dad grinned and wiped his mouth with a napkin and proudly proclaims that he got a PHD and they will now refer to him as Mr. Dr. Stoppable. We had to leave in a hurry, mom was red in the face. You'd of thought dad had shot someone from the way everyone was acting."

* * *

Ron held up a picture as Monique rejoined the group, "Look, Tara's a grandmother." 

Monique took the photograph of Eaton's family, "Awwww They're adorable little girls, is that your wife?"

"Yes, Megan's her name, the older girl is Tara Dee after mom, and then Amanda Renee'." He said as he stood and pointed to the different girls.

_"Now these girls look like Tara." _She thought as she looked over the picture, "Tara would have loved them. They're so cute."

"We're expecting a third child in March." He said happily.

Ron smiled, "Mazzeltov"

Monique looked at the silent media device, "Not listening to the game?"

He looked away sheepishly, "I…I couldn't figure out how to work it."

"Give it here." Monique laughed.

Ron watched her play with the buttons before giving up, "MYRACLE!"

The girl sighed as she walked out of the house, "I swear you two are helpless." She took the device and punched a button and pressed a few settings on the touchscreen.

_"Welcome from Go City Memorial Stadium. Site of the CHSAA Class 3a Championship Game between the 3 time State Champions Rockwood Kewpies and the Middleton Mad Dogs."_

"Move it up a bit I want to hear the commercials." Ron said anxiously.

Myracle looked at her father strangely, but did a she was asked.

"This presentation of Mad Dog's football is brought to you by, "Vistive from Monsanto, Farmers, want to increase your soy bean yield than look no further than Vistive. State Farm Insurance, like a good neighbor State Farm is there. For all your home, auto and life needs visit Gene "Lucky" Lutman in Lowerton across from the water tower. Or in Middleton see Connie Stoppable 4213 Beltline."

Ron swallowed hard, as he remembered the old insurance office his mother ran, "Momma…"

Myracle pointed to the device, "Grandma Stoppable?"

"You betcha."Ron confirmed with a grin. Then turning serious again, "See if you can advance it to the third quarter. I never did know how Rockwood scored. I was talking to Kim on the sidelines when they took the lead again."

She did as she was told and then hit the play icon, _"…opable is helped off the field. The crowd gives him a round of applause."_

_"You know Kenny, Ron Stoppable only has and I say only has about 120 yards rushing so it appears Rockwood has found a way to keep him contained."_

_"Yes Dean, they've shut him off at the line but the All Conference standout has still managed to score 3 of the four touchdowns for Middleton this evening."_

_"Looks like he's going to be out for a while they've wrapped him up on the sidelines as they attend to his injury."_

"It was a cramp." Ron said impatiently to the device. "Move it a bit further along."

Myracle moved the touchpad wheel further and hit the play icon once again.

_"Laycock in motion to the left, Stuckey takes the snap from center…fakes the hand off to Dorn…He's going to run it in untouched. Rockwood retakes the lead…."_

"Well that explains that Stan Stuckey ran the quarterback option." Ron said rubbing his chin. "Move it a bit further honey."

_"...Dog's 28. We'll be back after this message from Cow and Chow."_

"A little bit further honey. I think just hearing the commercial could give me heartburn." Ron said with a grin.

_"...12 yard run by Stoppable as that brings us to the end of the third quarter."_

_"Hey men erectile dysfunction got you down…"_

"Move it forward honey." Ron said wearing a tight grin.

Monique grinned, "Sure you don't…"

"NO" Ron said firmly.

"Would Dad like a prescription for Christmas?"Myracle asked.

"Chanukah and NO…" Ron said becoming slightly agitated.

_"Stoppable lines up behind Flagg. Flagg takes the snap from center and rolls to the left. He's going to keep as he struggles forward for a pickup of…"_

_"Looks like about 4 yards Kenny."_

_"This Mad Dog drive brought to you by Mr. Tom's for all your men's fashion wear needs."_

_"The ball now resting on the Middleton 24 yard line, as Flagg breaks the huddle…"_

_"Didn't take Stoppable long to get the Dog's out from the 8 yard line did?"_

_"Flagg lines up…Whoa, quick snap and a give and go to Stoppable, who's still driving…"_

_"HE'S GOING TO BREAK IT!"_

_"He's taking tackler's along with him…"_

_"Man I thought he was going to break that one."_

_"Ball's across midfield now, tackle made by number 36 Theotis Campbell of Rockwood."_

_"The clock's stopped while they move the chains."_

_"Well Dean, it looks like Stoppable is starting to wear down the Rockwood defense."_

_"Kenny, he's got a 163 yards rushing. Not quite seasonal numbers but respectable for Stoppable."_

_"He's nearing 400 yards total offense for the game."_

_"I bet he's got College recruiters from all over looking at him."_

Ron winched, remembering there were no recruiters interested in him because of his grades.

_"Flagg under center, Stoppable lined up behind him. Lancaster in motion to the left, he comes set. Flagg takes the snap, rolls left, he's hit…No, it's an option play, Flagg pitched to Stoppable."_

_"Add about six more yards to tally for Stoppable."_

Ron leaned back in his chair, "Man, we were clicking."

Monique smiled as she remembered the cold December night, "All I can do to keep from cheering."

_"Flagg breaks the huddle, not much time left on the play clock. He takes the snap, handoff to Stoppable, No, it's a fake. He hits Lancaster out in the flat for a pickup of around 14 and a first down."_

_"Now there's a name we haven't call much tonight. Senior wide out Devon Lancaster."_

"Ball down on the Rockwood 23 yard line. Flagg brings the team to the line. Stoppable goes in motion to the right. Flagg takes the snap, rolls out to the right…"

_"No one's open, THROW IT AWAY!"_

_"Flagg's going to keep it and takes the ball down to the 20."_

_"Good job to get something from nothing. That'' bring a 2nd and 7 from the Rockwood 20 yard line."_

Ron laughed at the end of the play, "I never saw the play, I got pancaked trying to block for…Block…" He said suddenly realizing how confusing that statement sounded.

_"For all your athletic shoe needs, check out Sports Authority, Middleton Mall in Middleton and West Lake Mall in Upperton."_

_"Second down and seven to go as Flagg backs away from the center…"_

_"He's going into the shotgun, Dean"_

_"There's the snap, he hands off to Stoppable for the draw play. Stoppable is stopped…NO!"_

_"Stoppable's bounced off to the right…He's stringing out the line as he runs for the sideline, he goes out of bounds at the Rockwood 18."_

Ron chuckled, "Felt like I had hit a wall…No place else to run it."

_"Stoppable did a good job to not lose yardage on that one."_

_"Block breaks the huddle. He's going to run the shotgun formation again, Stoppable in motion to the right."_

_"There's the snap, Flagg forced out of the pocket…"_

_"He's running to the right…"_

_"Flagg lofts the ball into the end zone for Lancaster…"_

_"STOPPABLE HAS IT…TOUCH DOWN, TOUCH DOWN MIDDLETON!"_

_"The ball bounced off Lancaster's shoulder pads and right into Ron's Stoppable's hands…_"

"That was luck, there was a mismatch in the secondary. Rockwood had 9 men in the box to blitz Block. No one had Lancaster covered. I was ran into the end zone to celebrate and ended up with the ball. I don't know who was more shocked Devon or me?" Ron explained.

_"The extra point is good. Middleton 35, Rockwood 31."_

_"This extra point brought to you by H.M. Bosworth Distributing. Your local Coors Beer Distributer."_

"Honey, move it forward a bit."

Myracle moved the program forward.

_"…cheerleaders continue to taunt the Middleton girls."_

_"Very poor sportsmanship on the part of Rockwood…"_

Monique giggled, "Oh they're going to pay later."

_"Stuckey under center, Dre Simms in motion to the left…"_

_"Stuckey takes the snap from center…"_

_"Quick pass to Simms…"_

_"Wrapped up by number 7 Ron Stoppable and 42 Zac Wilkins for a gain of 6 yards…Rockwood ball just across mid field…"_

_"Coach Barkin has been mixing the defenses nicely. He's brought Wilkins over to help Stoppable on the corner."_

_"Ball is spotted on the Middleton 48…"_

_"Stoppable isn't very familiar with the defense, having been pressed into service due to injuries. It's been a long night for the Middleton defensive unit."_

_"Stoppable's only been burned once so far tonight for a long one…"_

_"…but he does have that one pick he returned for a touchdown before halftime."_

_"Stuckey back under center…"_

_"Simms in motion to the left…"_

_"Stuckey takes the snap, rolls left…"_

_"He's looking for Simms…"_

_"Interception…"_

_"No, knocked away from Stoppable at the last minute by Dre Simms."_

Ron began laughing, "OK, number 2 must be Simms. Stuckey threw the ball behind him, hit me right in the hands. I was getting ready to run with the ball before Simms punched it away."

_"…3rd down, 4 to go for the first down."_

_"Stuckey under center barks out the signals."_

_"Stuckey takes the snap and drops back for a pass…"_

_"He's going for it all…"_

_"SIMMS HAS IT…Touchdown Rockwood…"_

_"Simms put a move on Stoppable…"_

_"…Took him out of the route."_

Ron frowned, "Head fake. I didn't know to watch the belt buckle and not the head. Little trick I picked up playing for Wyoming."

_"…extra point is good. Rockwood 38, Middleton 35…"_

Ron rubbed his chin, "Next possession we tried to move the ball down field and burn up the clock."

* * *

"Stay out there for the kickoff Stoppable." Barkin said as he pointed back to the field. 

Ron frowned and nodded, _"Dumb, dumb, dumb…I shouldn't have zigged when he zagged."_

The Rockwood team lined up for the kickoff. Ron relaxed a bit, realizing there was little chance that they were going to kick the ball anywhere he could get to it. The kicker approached the ball. Ron watched the ball fly high into the air. Then it dawned on him that it was coming right to him.

He ran forward and caught the ball. He looked up field as he ran. Nothing but red jerseys greeted him. Ron ran at full speed towards the right side line before he was knocked out of bounds at 26 yard line.

Block ran onto the field and grabbed by the shoulder pads, "Forget about the pass play, nothing you can do about it now. Now focus on what we have to do."

He nodded his head and glanced up at the clock, _"6:38 left in the game."_

Block gathered the team up in the huddle, "LISTEN UP, LISTEN UP…We're going slow, we're going slow. Run the clock down. 7 Pitch, 7 Pitch, On Two, On Two…MAD DOGS!"

The team broke the huddle. Block watched for the play clock to start once they reached the line. With 45 seconds they had to run a play, there was no immediate rush to run a play. They stood watching the clock run. Brick waited till it reached 15 seconds, "DOWN, DOWN…BLUE, BLUE…HUTT…HUTT…"

The ball was snapped with 2 seconds left on the play clock. Ron ran to the right and received the pitch. He ran off to the right side. He darted left to avoid a tackle but was soon wrapped up for a 4 yard gain.

The players took their time getting into the huddle. Block watched the clock run down to 5 minutes, "22/7 Slash...22/7 Slash...On Two...On Two...MAD DOGS!'

Block went under center and began to call the signals, "DOWN...BLUE...OVER...BLUE..."

Ron went into motion towards Devon Lancaster, before stopping to look back at Block. He watched as the Rockwood defensive secondary creep forward to blitz the quarterback, _"I think they sniffed this one out."_ He thought as Block took the snap from center.

Block backed out from center and handed the ball off to Jason Richards as he ran behind him. Ron passed Jason the other way this time there was no hand off as Jason kept the ball and turned up field.

Two Rockwood players quickly wrapped Ron up as he was pretending to have the football. Jason Richards was able to work his way down to the Middleton 44 yard line for a 14 yard gain.

Jason ran back to meet with Ron, "Too many red shirts looking to tackle you."

Ron agreed with the assessment, "Yea, they were cheating in pretty hard."

Block stood watching the marker sticks being moved. Once they were in place the clock would start again. The sticks were placed but before the play clock could start, Rockwood called a timeout. Block frowned and said quietly, "They know what we're doing."

The referee stepped forward and announced to the crowd, "TIME OUT ROCKWOOD. THIS IS THEIR 2ND TIME OUT."

"Stoppable get over here." Barkin called from the sideline.

Ron jogged over to see what the coach wanted, "You rang?"

Barkin was in no mood for pleasant banter, "How far can you throw a football?"

He let out a deep breath. It was not unusual for him to uncork a 70 yard pass with Kim's battle suit on but without it? He wasn't sure, "I think 30 yards...maybe."

Coach Barkin leaned in and narrowed his eyes, "Accurately..."

Ron sighed and thought about it, "20, maybe 25 yards."

"That's about what I was thinking. Go back to the huddle." Barkin said as a slight grin crossed his face.

_"We're going to try the half back option pass."_ Ron thought happily as he entered the huddle.

Block looked at the players, "On One...On One...7 Screen Left...7 Screen Left...On One...On One...MAD DOGS!"

The team jogged up to the ball. Block looked over the defense before calling the signals. He spotted something he didn't like, "DOWN...BAZOOKA...BAZOOKA..."

_"Uh Oh..."_ Ron thought as he listened to the play call from Block.

"BLACK...BLACK...DOG...DOG..." Block called out.

_"Message to me..." _He thought as he listened carefully.

"LEFT...OVER...LEFT...OVER..."

Ron went into motion to the right side. He stopped by Devon Lancaster once again as he waited for the snap of the ball.

"...HUTT..."

The ball was snapped, Block faded back, faked a pass to the left before sending a bullet Ron's way. He wasn't expecting so much velocity on the ball and dropped it as it bounced off his finger tips. Ron shook his hand as pain shot through his finger tips, "Ouch, ouch, ouch, owie..."

Block waved him into the huddle. He glanced at the time remaining 5:26 left in the game and now the clock was stopped on an incomplete pass. Block glared at Ron as he joined the huddle, "STOPPABLE, CATCH THE BALL DAMN IT."

Ron pulled in his head. When Block was using his last name, Ron knew he was angry at him. He glanced up at the score board, _"2nd and ten..."_

The play was signaled in from the bench. Block read the signs, "7 Shovel...7 Shovel...On Two...On Two...MAD DOGS!"

Ron lined up behind Block. He swallowed hard. He did not want to be the reason they lost the game. He looked over the defense. While he wasn't an expert he could generally get a feel for what the other team was going to do. He saw eight men in the box, two layers of players between the tackles, "Blitz..." He thought as Block took the snap.

The Rockwood defense was coming after Block. Ron ran into the line and pretended to block until the rush had passed him by. He turned quickly, just in time to pluck the ball from as it was already on the way towards him.

Ron turned up field and began to run. He dodged to the right to miss a tackler as he worked his way over towards the Middleton sideline. Then another thought grabbed him, _"Can't run out of bounds. It'll stop the clock."_ He turned and knifed his way towards the center of the field. Before he was finally caught and pulled down on the Rockwood 40 yard line.

_"16 YARD RUN BY RONALD STOPPABLE...FIRST DOWN MIDDLETON."_

He glanced up at the Diamond Vision to watch the run, _"Man, there were that many guys around me?"_

The clock continued to run after the sticks were moved. Ron glanced over to the clock. There was 5:18 seconds left in the game as the clock was restarted. Block clapped his hands, "Good Job Ron, good job."

"TIME OUT ROCKWOOD. THIS IS THEIR 3RD AND FINAL TIME OUT."

Block grinned, "They let 8 seconds run off the clock before they decided to call that time out."

Jason Richards had his arms crossed, "I figured they would have waited till later to use them."

Devon shrugged, "No, they figure we'll score and they'll need all the time they can get to mount a comeback."

Ron Reeger came out to the huddle with water bottles. Ron grabbed one and drank greedily. Reeger watched him, "How's the calf muscle doing?"

"It's a little tight but not bad." Ron told him.

The officials waved the team managers off the field. Block received his signal from the bench. He turned to the huddle, "Remember stay in bounds, do not stop the clock. Right Weaker Goober...Right Weaker Goober...On Two...On Two...Mad Dogs!"

This was a new play. Ron lined up to the left of Block. Jason Richards went into motion and came to a stop behind Block where Ron normally lined up. Block took the snap turned to his right and began to run.

The defense pursued him and just before they could tackle him, he pitched the ball to Ron. Jason Richards was now in front of him blocking the corner back out of the play. Ron turned and ran hard towards the sideline before turning back towards the center of the field.

A player in a red jersey from Rockwood threw himself in front of Ron taking his legs out from beneath him sending him airborne. He landed on the ground with a thud. The ball squirted out of his hands as he impacted the ground.

The Rockwood defense buried Ron beneath the pile as they desperately groped for the football. He could hear whistles blowing and some cursing as players rolled off the top of him. Ron pulled himself unsteadily to his knees. He looked towards Block who was waving him to the huddle.

"8 YARD RUN BY NUMBER 7 RONALD STOPPABLE...2ND AND 2 FOR MIDDLETON."

Block slapped him on the butt and then reached up and adjusted his helmet so it was straight. Then he turned to watch the play clock run down, "You were ruled down...Good run."

Ron glanced up at the clock. It was now under five minutes to play, _"I don't like running the clock down while we're behind. We need to score."_

"Listen up, Listen up, 7 Pitch…7 Pitch…On Two…On Two…MAD DOGS!" Block clapped his hands as he broke the huddle.

_"2nd and two, need to get to the 30 yard line for the first down."_ Ron thought as he lined up behind Block.

Block looked to the play clock and watched it run down to 5 seconds before calling out the signals. "DOWN…BLUE…BLUE…HUTT…HUTT…" He took the snap, pivoted to the right and pitched the ball back to Ron.

The work horse of the Middleton offense took the ball and ran to the right. He saw a patch of daylight and ran hard towards it. Rockwood was clearly thinking pass as Ron found himself in the secondary heading towards the end zone.

He spotted a red jersey out of the corner of his eye and darted to the left. He felt a hand on the back of his uniform. The hand grabbed the shoulder pads. Ron momentum was momentarily slowed before the player lost his grip. Suddenly he was falling forward as another player wrapped his arms around his legs. Ron got to his feet quickly and looked for where on the field he was. He had taken the ball to the 22 yard line.

"TEN YARD RUN BY NUMBER 7 RONALD STOPPABLE…FIRST DOWN MIDDLETON."

Ron took a knee in the huddle. He was clearly tired.

Devon Lancaster chuckled, "Ron don't you get tired. I don't want to have to play defense after we score."

He grinned, "I'll make it."

Block came into the huddle, "7 Pitch…7 Pitch…On Two…On Two…MAD DOGS!"

Ron groaned as the huddle broke. He glanced up at the game clock, _"4:12, I'm dying here."_ He glanced to the bench hoping to catch Coach Barkin's eye. Then turned away quickly as Block began to call out the signals, _"Oh man…"_

He took the pitch and found his legs felt like they were made of lead. He ran to the right only to be wrapped up quickly and taken to the ground. He made it back to the line of scrimmage but that was all.

Ron knew the clock was running so he took his time getting off the ground. He looked to the bench but Coach Barkin was too busy sending in the play to notice him, _"I just need to sit for one play…"_

A tap on the shoulder was the answer to his prayers, "Go sit down, I'm in on this play."

He grinned at Matt Thorson, the backup running back. Ron jogged off the field and over to the bench. He took some water from Ron Reeger and looked at the game clock, _"3:42 left, we've got to score."_ He thought nervously as the he watched the team slowly approach the line of scrimmage.

Block took the snap and handed the ball to Thorson. He ran left right into a wall of red jerseys. Ron frowned, _"Should have run right, there's nothing to the left."_

"2 YARD RUN BY NUMBER 30 MATT THORSON…3RD AND 8 FOR MIDDLETON."

"STOPPABLE"

Ron left the bench and headed towards the voice of Coach Barkin.

The Coach was twisting his playbook in his hands as he watched Ron approach. The clock was going to go under 3 minutes and they needed a first down. Barkin decided it was time to take a chance and put the ball in the air.

"Stoppable, take this play to Block. I want to run the 7 flip…"

Ron looked at him questioningly, "7 flip…are you sure?"

"Stoppable, we've ran almost every play this series. They won't be expecting a pass much less a pass from a small halfback." Barkin explained.

He nodded and quickly ran to the huddle. His legs did feel better but only a little better. Block was waiting for him in the huddle. Ron whispered the play to him and he nodded.

"7 Flip…7 Flip…On Two…On Two…MAD DOGS!"

The team broke the huddle as Ron took his position behind Block. He looked at the defensive alignment, _"Oh yea, they're expecting run." _He thought as he watched the secondary moving towards the line of scrimmage.

Block took the snap, pivoted and pitched the ball back to Ron. He caught the ball ran to his right, stopped and waited for Devon Lancaster to reach the end zone. Once he did, Ron threw the ball as hard as he could towards him.

A Rockwood player shoved Ron hard after he threw the ball, before he turned to watch the play. Ron groaned as he watched Devon and three other Rockwood's players jump into the air for the ball. The three players fell to the ground in the end zone. Devon didn't have the ball.

A Rockwood's player got off the ground, jumping up and down. He had intercepted Ron's pass. He felt sick, he had just lost the game for Middleton. He watched as the offense walked off the field. No one looked at him. Everyone was lost in their own worlds of shock.

He felt a slap on his back, it was Zac Wilkins, "Let's go get that ball back."

Ron glanced at the game clock, _"2:48 left in the game, a game I've just lost."_

* * *

_"What was Stoppable thinking?"_

_"I don't know Ken, triple coverage."_

"It wasn't triple coverage. I just didn't have the arm strength to throw the ball on the line. I had to put it on an arc and everyone just ran to it." Ron said defensively.

Monique rubbed Ron's arm, "It's alright baby, they don't remember that one. They just remember how the game ended."

Even though the play had happened 41 years before it was still fresh in Ron's mind. He frowned, "You don't know how many times that play has popped up in my mind over the years."

_"Danny Toliver of Rockwood runs the ball straight ahead for no gain. Middleton calls its first timeout."_

"Man, I wish I had just tucked that ball and ran. I had no one in front of me." Ron said bitterly.

_"Middleton Football is brought to you from by KMLD for the private use of our audience. Any broadcast or rebroadcast of this game is strictly prohibited by KMLD and the CHSAA."_

_"Yep Dean, might as well get that out of the way. Dixon Motor Company player of the game is number 7 Ronald Stoppable, 194 yards rushing, 430 yards total offense."_

_"…and 1 interception What a loser."_

"SCREW YOU DEAN WORTON, YOU THINK IT'S EASY…" Ron shouted at the media device.

"Ron" Monique said softly.

He nodded his head and looked dejectedly, "I know, I know…"

_"Stuckey throws to the fullback Adkins. Tackle made by Stoppable and Wilkins."_

_"…10 yards on the play. First down Rockwood…"_

_"Middleton uses its second timeout."_

_"1:52 seconds left in the game…"_

* * *

With each second that ticked off the clock a little piece of Ron's soul died. A great season of football had come to a humiliating end and it was his fault. He wanted to cry but he was exhausted. He didn't want to look at Kim, his parents, Rufus, Hana, much less his team mates. He felt he had let everyone down as he went into the defensive huddle. 

Eric Driscole's voice was now devoid of emotion, "Jail Break…Jail Break…Try to get the ball loose from them….Mad Dogs."

Ron didn't go out to cover a receiver as there wasn't anyone to cover. All of the Rockwood players that weren't on the line now surrounded quarterback Steve Stuckey. He took the snap as Ron ran as quickly to him as he could only to be shoved away as Stuckey took a knee to end the play.

Erick made the signal to the referee to call for the final time out.

"TIME OUT MIDDLETON, THIS IS THEIR LAST TIME OUT!"

Only a few minutes before the Middleton Mad Dogs were driving down field for the score only to have Ron throw an interception now waited for the inevitable end with only 1:18 seconds left. The only thing that the waiting worse was the non-stop chanting from the Rockwood side of the field, "MIDDLETON SUCKS, MIDDLETON SUCKS…"

Rockwood lined up again in their protect formation. Again Stuckey took the ball only this time he backed out and from the players to burn up more time from the clock. Ron made a desperate dash for him only to be shoved away by a wide receiver as Stuckey took a knee.

Stuckey grinned as he stood up, he threw the ball at Ron. It bounced harmlessly off his facemask, "There ya go loser."

Ron's temper flared as he punched Stuckey in the face mask. Yellow flags came from all over as the Middleton and Rockwood players started shoving and punching one another. The Referee sorted the players out and then came over to Ron, "Number 7, one more like that and you're out of here."

He nodded his head as he looked up at the clock, _"I can see getting kicked out with :52 seconds left."_

The Middleton defense milled around aimlessly as the referee called the offsetting penalties and to repeat the down. Eric Driscole slapped Ron playfully on the back of the helmet, "We win as a team, we lose as a team. If it wouldn't have been for you we wouldn't have made it this far."

"Thanks" Ron said hollowly as he watched Rockwood line up for the final snap of the game. _"I'm going for the ball."_ Ron thought determinedly as he watched Stuckey walk to the line smiling.

Steve Stuckey was about to call the final play of his high school career for Rockwood. It was a play that would go down in Colorado High School Sports History. He looked over the defeated Middleton team in their road white uniforms. He grinned and nodded towards the pesky number 7 that was getting ready to charge across the line towards him. He called the signals out, took the snap, dipped down, rose up and threw the ball high into the air in celebration.

The Rockwood team and fans stormed the field. Ron crossed the line but it was too late. He stood watching the celebration. The Rockwood running back picked the ball up off the ground and threw it to him, "There you go dick head."

Ron turned to look back towards the Middleton bench only to see Coach Barkin waving his arms. He couldn't hear what he was saying over the noise but he could read his lips, "RUN!"

Ron looked to the sidelines and saw the side judge still in position, and then he realized he never heard a whistle to signal the end of the play. He was holding a live ball. Ron took off running towards the Rockwood end zone. He saw a flash of a red jersey, lowered his shoulder and sent the Rockwood Kewpies mascot sailing into the air.

He glanced to his right and saw 2 men he assumed to be parents giving chase to him. Ron grabbed a girl holding a flute from the Rockwood marching band and tossed her aside towards the men. He heard her scream as the men ran over her, _"Sorry…sorry…my bad…"_ He thought as he crossed the goal line.

The referee trailing the play and the side judge both signaled touchdown. Ron held the ball high in the air, "BOOYAHHHHHHHHHH"

His happiness was short lived though as the people surrounding him began to pummel him with punches. Ron realizing he was deep in enemy territory now ran for his life back towards the Middleton bench and safety as the Middleton players now took the field to defend him.

After about 10 minutes of chaos the teams were finally separated. Coach Barken and Coach Harding still had to be restrained as the two screamed at one another, "CHALK ONE UP FOR MAGILLA!" Barkin shouted as Block and Brick Flagg turned the water cooler over him in celebration of the win.

"THAT WAS NOT A TOUCHDOWN, I DEMAND THOSE POINTS BE STRICKEN FROM THE SCORE…NOW!" Harding screamed at the referee.

The Referee keyed his microphone to be heard over the feuding crowd, "THE QUARTERBACK'S KNEE NEVER TOUCHED THE GROUND. HE FUMBLED THE BALL, THE BALL WAS RECOVERED BY MIDDLETON AND RETURNED FOR A TOUCHDOWN. THERE IS NO MORE TIME ON THE CLOCK, THE GAME IS OVER…Thank God…"

Ron now had his helmet off enjoying the pandemonium that now ensued. He looked for his favorite red headed cheerleader.

She found him first and gave him a deep kiss before pulling away, waving her hand in front of her nose, "You stink."

Ron shrugged, "Yea…I need a shower."

The other cheerleaders crowded around patting Ron on the back and hugging him. Some hugged him a little too forcefully, much to Kim's displeasure. Suddenly the Rockwood Cheer Squad all 30 of them approached the girls. All of them in matching fire engine red dyed hair.

_"Middleton cheerleaders are nothing but SLUTS!_

_Middleton cheerleaders take it in the…"_

The girls then turned and mooned the Middleton girls.

Kim quickly put her hand over Ron's eyes, "Ron, you go take that shower. The girls and I have some business to take care of."

A war cry went out as Kim pointed towards the Rockwood girls, "ATTACK!"

The Middleton cheer squad stormed the unsuspecting girls, some of which realized they were about to get into a fight as they backed away.

Ron was shoved out of the way as the Rockwood Kewpies mascot ran by screaming, "HELP ME!"

Then Ron spotted the Pep Puppies giving chase, "GET HIM, GET THE FREAK!"

He turned his attention back towards the field as he watched a large red hair extension sail into the air. At least he hoped it was a hair extension. Ron turned and made his way towards the Middleton locker room, _"Man and I thought our game was rough."_

* * *

_"Oh the humanity…"_

_"Dean, I've always said this is the trouble of High School Athletics. The inherent violence in the system…"_

_"Those poor Rockwood girls are being pummeled."_

Monique and Ron laughed, "Kill, Kill, Kill, Go get em' Kim…."

_"A stunning come from behind win for Middleton marred by all this violence."_

_"Ken, I never thought I'd say this but I think Cheer leading needs to be banned from High School Athletics, for just this reason."_

_"Well Dean, you can't judge cheer leading by what you see here tonight."_

_"Oh look at that poor Rockwood mascot, first ran over by Ron Stoppable on the way to end zone and now tackled and being punched and kicked by the Middleton Pep Puppies."_

_"I thought those two were housebroken..."_

_ "Uh oh, is that what I think it is?"_

_"Yes it is Dean. Tear gas cannisters are being lobbed onto the field by the police."_

_"Look at that red headed girl throw the cannister back at them."_

_"Oh the police weren't expecting that not one of them is wearing gas masks."_

_"This is really getting ugly." _

_"Just to recap, Middleton has won the CHSAA 3a State Championship 41 to 38."_

_"...and it appears the Middleton Cheer Squad also has the best of the riot that has broken out here." _

* * *

Ron sat on a bench in the locker room wearing only a towel. He had looked over his ravaged body in the mirror, red right eye, bruises on top of bruises. He was surprised by the lack of pain he felt and the strange feeling of accomplishment that he had done something special or had been a part of something special. 

Block came running into the locker room, "Get dressed the girls are still fighting and the Highway Patrol's been called. There sending in a riot squad."

He smiled and sat up slowly, "I think I've seen enough of that field for one night."

"NO, they've chased those Rockwood girls out to the bus and are trying to turn it over." Block exclaimed.

_"Hmmmmmm, watching the cheer squad flip a bus over and watching Kim going to jail…yea, this is worth seeing."_ Ron thought as he pulled his clothes on as quickly as he could.

Ron walked outside into the cold air. He spotted a grinning Tara running towards him, "Hey, where's the fight?"

Tara ran past him giggling, "Run, the cops are here."

"Get on the bus Stoppable, while I try to take care of this misunderstanding." Barkin ordered.

"Awwwwwwww man, I wanted to see Kim get arrested." Ron complained.

He did as he was told and boarded the bus. The warm bus and the comfortable seat were relaxing. Ron looked out the window at the rhythmic flashing of the emergency lights from the police cars and fell fast asleep.

* * *

A/N: Cheerleader riot fallout, Hot tub highlights and living like Bugs Bunny. 


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry about the length of the chapter. I just started writing and couldn't stop. I promise, I will work on my other stories now. Its just hard to do when the plot bunnies attack.**

**Hope you enjoy the chapter. Write a review/receive a reply.**

**Thanks**

**Bubba **

* * *

The afternoon sun was heating up the poolside patio table. Monique stood up and opened the umbrella. Ron had his head rolled forward as he dozed off lazily. Monique smiled adoringly at her husband, "You'll have to forgive him. It's his nap time..." 

Eaton Trendle frowned, "He really didn't tell me much about the cheerleader riot."

Monique laughed softly, "Of course he didn't. He didn't see anything. He's doing now exactly what he did then, sleep. Now me on the other hand, I saw the whole thing."

Myracle grinned and sat up, "Momma, did you fight in the great cheerleader riot?"

"Girl please, I was right in the middle of it." Monique bragged.

Eaton sat up, "So what happened?"

Monique laced her fingers together and stretched her arms out in front of her, "Well, it was your mother, Kim and I, against about 80 or 90 of the biggest ugliest cheerleaders you ever saw. The other girls got scared and ran, but not us."

"From what I heard the Rockwood Cheer Squad only numbered about 25 or so..." Eaton said, as he waited for Monique's reaction.

She narrowed her eyes, "Oh that's just what they want you to think. Anyway, Kim said, 'Monique get the 40 on the left and I'll handle the 40 on the right.' Now this is where it gets interesting. Your mother wanted in on the action. She looks at us and says..."

* * *

"What about me?" 

Monique and Kim turned to one another, "Take what's left."

"Jinx, Girl you owe me a soda." Monique said happily as the gang of rouge cheerleaders drew near.

Tara narrowed her cold steely blue eyes, "Oh I so don't think so." She said as she sprinted past the two girls.

Kim groaned, "No Tara..."

Monique and Kim both broke into a run to catch up to Tara. She was already battling two cheerleaders as Kim came rushing in. She sprang into the air and kicked one of the rouge girls viciously in the face.

"Girl, I got the 40 over here." Monique screamed as she grabbed a girl with both hands by the ears and head butted her, "That'll teach you to mess with Bubblin' Brown Sugar baby, uh huh...We bad!"

A voice thundered from somewhere in the fog that had rolled into Go City, "YOU ARE PUNY AND YOU ARE NOT A CHEERLEADER!"

Monique saw the legs emerge from the fog first then the rest of the torso of a Rockwood cheerleader that must have been 12 foot tall, "No, I ain't down with all that cheerin' an stuff." She said confidently.

"I ONLY WANT TO FIGHT CHEERLEADERS!" The mutant cheerleader told her.

"Well you're gonna have to get thru Bubblin' Brown Sugar first baby!" Monique said as snapped her fingers put her hands on her hips and thrust her chin out defiantly.

"OH WELL, I GUESS YOU'LL HAVE TO DO..." The twelve foot tall cheerleader said as she moved towards Monique.

Monique quickly ran to meet her. She reached up and punched the girl as hard as she could in the knee. A roar of pain escaped the girl's lips, "OW, THAT HURT..."

"Oh yea, there's plenty more from where that came from Circus Freak!" Monique taunted.

The giant girl turned on Monique, "HEY THAT WASN'T VERY NICE, YOU OWE ME AN APOLOGY."

"Oh like that's going to happen anytime soon." Monique wiggled her finger at the giant to come fight her, "Come get some."

The giant girl let out a roar and took a step towards Monique. She stopped suddenly and grabbed her left arm, "MY ARM...I THINK I'M HAVING A HEART ATTACK." She said just before her eyes rolled up into her giant head as she fell to the ground.

Monique ran to avoid the giant girls falling carcass. One of the battling cheerleaders saw the girl go down. She pointed at Monique, "You killed her!"

"Look the chick was a freak, bad heart got her." Monique said defensively.

"You killed Dorothy, Queen of the Cheer Squad." Another girl cried.

"Thanks to you, we're free now." The first girl cried out in glee.

The second girl trumpeted the news, "Hail Brown Sugar, Dorothy the Giant Cheerleader is dead."

A couple of girls stopped fighting and looked at the giant carcass lying on the ground. They shrugged, "Who cares keep fighting."

The other two girls turned to face Monique, "Well we did try. Nothing personal you understand."

Monique nodded her head, "No big..." She said as she began to fight the two girls.

She quickly dispatched the two girls before turning to see Tara running towards the bus away from the battle. Kim suddenly grabbed her by the lapels of her stylish yellow fighting suit, "You have to run, I can't hold them back much longer."

"No way girl, INLWY." Monique said firmly.

Kim shook her head, "What?"

"I'm not leaving without you." She explained.

"You have to, tell Ron I love him...and...and ...I don't mind if you two marry, you bear his children, raise his illegitimate children as your own, wash his underwear and...and make sure the Mole Rat has enough cheese." Suddenly Kim was pulled away buy the shear volume of cheerleaders.

Monique stretched out her hand, "KIM, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO..."

* * *

Ron's uncontrolled laughter interrupted her story. He had tears in his eyes as he tried to mimic Monique's voice, "...and make sure the Mole Rat has enough cheese..." Ron went into another spasm of uncontrolled laughter. 

Monique frowned at him, "What are you laughing at?"

Ron tried to stop laughing, "You...giant cheerleaders, Bubblin' Brown Sugar...OH MAN!"

"You don't think calling me Bubblin' Brown Sugar is so funny when you want some." Monique said angrily as she crossed her arms.

He straightened up, "Well, no that's different." He cleared his voice and spoke in a harsh whisper to her, "I thought we agreed no pet bedroom names in front of the children or strangers."

"So my mother fought in the riot?" Eaton asked hoping to bring the couple back to reality.

Monique grinned happily, "Aw yea baby." She balled up her fists and acted as if she were boxing, "Tara was all over that riot."

Myracle laughed, "Get em' momma…"

Ron rubbed the back of his neck, "Well, Monique would know more about the riot than I would. I only saw Tara running from the police."

Eaton smiled, "So did they turn the Rockwood Cheer bus over?"

Monique smiled and nodded her head, "Hego, from Team Go showed up to aid in riot control. He spotted Kim and she told him..."

* * *

Kim Possible pointed towards the Rockwood Cheer bus and pleaded with the super strong member of Team Go, "Hego, am I glad to see you. There's a bus full of red communist agents from China. We need to tip the bus over to keep them from escaping." 

Hego frowned as he looked at the bus of girls with dyed fire engine red hair, "Communism, not on my watch Kim Possible. Tell everyone to stand back and I'll take care of this." Hego commanded.

The not to bright leader of Team Go bent down and gripped the bottom of the bus, with a mighty heave he flipped the bus over onto its side. The girls inside screamed for help. Hego brushed off his hands as he turned towards Kim, "Well that'll teach them dirty Commies to come to my town...Kim, Kim?"

Kim and the Middleton Cheer squad had run off into the night. Hego turned towards the bus of screaming cheerleaders, _"Uh oh...I think...I'm in trouble."_

"Hang on girls. I'll have you upright in a moment."

* * *

Ron cast a skeptical gaze at his wife, "So...Hego overturned the bus?" 

Monique pursed her lips and looked away, "Well...more or less..."

"Maybe it was the giant cheerleader?" Ron offered.

A small temper flared within Monique, "Well if you know so much from being on the team bus, why don't you tell us?"

Ron grinned, "Alright I will. Myrical cover your ears honey."

Myracl frowned but did as she was told, "You're going to talk about sex aren't you?"

"No…I'm going to talk about near sex…sort of…" Ron said as he screwed up his fact trying to remember the night.

* * *

He was jolted awake as someone sat in his lap. Ron's eyes fluttered open to see his red headed girlfriend Kim Possible. She had removed most of the blue and white face paint and was doing her best to look innocent. "Remember Ron, if the police board the bus. I was here the whole time." 

Ron blinked trying his best to wake up, "You want me to lie?"

"NOOOOOOOO, not lie...just...tell a fabrication. Lie is such an ugly word." Kim said as a broad grin crossed her face.

"Well, I don't know. I mean...I could get into trouble." Ron told her nervously.

Kim leaned in as she put a hand on Ron's crotch, "You could...use it against me...Make me do any dirty and depraved thing that crosses your mind."

Ron's eyes rolled back in his head as Kim began squeezing, "Ohhhhh man..."

"I want you to take me Ron. We've been virgins way too long." She whispered.

His eyes shot open, "What you mean here on the bus?"

She leaned forward and kissed him, "I want everyone to watch us hump like bunnies."

Ron looked around nervously, "I...I don't know. I mean..."

"You scored so many touchdowns tonight, why not score again?" She purred into his ear.

* * *

"NO, NO, That did not happen." Monique exclaimed as she pointed a finger at her husband. 

Myrical who still had her hands over her ears looked from one parent to the other, "Did daddy have sex yet? I'm tired of holding my hands over my ears."

"NO" They both said together.

Ron sat up straight in his chair, "Old woman, let me finish the story."

Monique's eyes opened wide and she puffed out her cheeks, "You old woman me again..."

"Just let me finish the story..."

* * *

Kim grinned mischievously as she slid off the bus seat. She whipped her long red hair back and forth over Ron's crotch before she stopped and reached for his zipper. Ron was mesmerized as Kim started to slowly unzip his pants. 

"STOPPABLE, GET YOUR HANDS OUT OF YOUR PANTS!"

Ron jumped in his seat as Barkin's voice echoed inside his head. He was now fully awake, "What?" He looked down to see where his hands were, "Oh man..."

"Cheese and crackers man, have the decency to do that in private." Barkin said as he walked off shaking his head.

Block plopped down in the seat next to him, "I guess it's safe to sit here. I was afraid you might start fishing in someone else's pants."

Ron grimaced, "Oh man..."

"Ah, don't worry. I'm sure Kim will finish you off later in the hot tub." Block said with a knowing grin.

* * *

"Now that's more like, what really happened." Monique chuckled. 

Ron frowned, "Well it's more plausible than 12 foot. tall cheerleaders."

"Can I take my hands down now?" Myracle asked again.

"NO" They both told her.

The girl sighed, "Fine, I'm going inside." With her hands still over her ears, Myracle rose from her chair and walked towards the house.

"You see what you did? You drove our daughter away." Ron playfully chastised Monique.

Eaton Trendle cleared his throat, "No one really knows what happened during the riot do they?"

Monique shrugged, "Well...it was very confusing."

"It was like most riots. It ebbed and flowed to the point no one really knows what went on. Only how it started..." Ron summed up the topic.

"Tell the hot tub story. You have to hear the hot tub story. This is classic Ron and Kim." Monique said giggling.

* * *

The bus arrived at the hotel. The team made their way to their predetermined room assignments. Ron hugged his parents and Hana before they left for their rooms. Rufus was already asleep in his mother's purse. Ron then made his way into the hotel room. He threw his bag on the floor, kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed. 

Block entered the room next. He could hear Ron snoozing peacefully in the bed next to his. He threw his bag down and lay down on his bed, "Not going to meet Kim?"

Ron eyes fluttered open. "Haven't seen her..."

"Oh" Block mumbled as he lay down on his bed and drifted off to sleep.

Two hours went by before Ron was awaked again to the sound of a crash. He sat up in bed, "Wha...?"

He looked around the room as best he could in the darkness. Finally his vision cleared as he saw a pair of green eyes focused on him from the HVAC duct work on the far wall, "Kim?"

He heard the faint echo of a giggle, "Come on Ron." She called softly to him.

Ron scrambled out of bed and made his way silently towards the opening. He leaped up and grabbed the edge as Kim helped pull him inside with her. She kissed him passionately. Ron could taste just the slightest hint of blood, "So...how did the fight go?"

Kim giggled again softly, "Not bad for being as out numbered as we were. Man, Bonnie and Tara can really put up a scrap."

"So my badical BFGF, what's the plan?" Ron whispered happily.

She grinned, "Well BFBF...I think we have the hot tub to ourselves till at least dawn...or until the K9 units show up first."

"Dogs?"

"Well, yea, that's why it took so long for me to get back. I...kind of had to lose them first." Kim explained as she moved out.

Ron scooted behind her until they hit a junction. He could hear Kim muttering to herself in front of him. _"OK, If I made a right coming in...Going out must be to the left."_ She mused.

The couple took the ductwork to the left. They went down another duct before Kim pushed out another grate and lowered herself gently to the ground. Ron followed behind her. He could feel the ledge but wasn't sure of how far the drop was as he lowered himself head first, until he slipped and fell unceremoniously to the ground, "OUCH!"

"Shhhhhh, don't make so much noise. The hot tub is over here." Kim whispered.

Ron got to his feet and looked at the bubbling water in the dim light of the after hours pool area lighting. They quickly ran towards the bubbling water. They stopped at the edge. Ron frowned, "We don't have suits..."

Kim smiled as she pulled off her Middleton Mad Dogs sweatshirt, "Oh, I don't think we need any tonight."

He stared at Kim open mouthed as she unhooked her bra. They had played touchy feely and Dora the Explorer in the back of Kim's car before but nothing like this. Ron eyes took in Kim's body as she kicked off her shoes and slid her sweatpants off.

Now clad only in a white thong she smiled at him, "Not going to join me?"

Ron quickly took off his Avalanche hockey jersey that he seemed to wear every day. He reached down to take off his shoes, never taking his eyes off of Kim as she slid the thong down her hips. He finally glanced down after he couldn't find his shoes. He realized he wasn't wearing any, so he tugged off his socks.

Kim stepped into the hot tub, "You're not going to make me wait are you?"

He nearly fell over as he yanked his pants down to his ankles. He kicked them aside, and then slipped his boxers off. Now naked he tried to think of something to say, but his mouth was too dry. He finally managed to croak, "You…look really hot with that black eye."

Kim reached up to her face, "One of the girls got a lucky shot. She paid for it though." She sank to her knees as she held her arms open to him.

Ron stepped carefully into the tub, "Is it humid in here or is it just me." He said nervously.

Kim giggled as she eyed Ron's erect package, "It looks so much bigger from this angle. Have you been working out with it?"

He giggled nervously as he slid into the tub, "I…"

Kim stood to embrace him, "Shut up and kiss me Ron." Kim said breathlessly.

Ron wrapped his arms around Kim and pulled her close to him. They began to kiss as he let his hands roam to unfamiliar territory. Kim put her hands on his shoulders and pressed down as she kissed him. Ron picked up on the queue and sank to his knees in the water. Kim lay back as Ron lay down on top of her.

Kim's eyes opened wide as she felt something pressing against something she didn't want pressed against. She put her hand Ron's shoulder and pushed him away, "No…I'm not ready for that yet."

"Huh?" Ron was confused as he leaned forward to kiss her again.

"I said no Ron." Kim said a little more urgently.

"What?" Ron whispered.

Kim now understood that Ron was truly clueless, "Look down at your...thingie."

Ron tilted his head still clearly confused.

Kim groaned and rolled her eyes, "Tab A is getting ready to be inserted into Slot B, and I'm not ready to be...assembled yet."

Now Ron understood as he quickly rolled off of her, "Sorry."

She giggled, "No big…almost was a big, big…" She glanced down at his erection, "Well it's still a big…big…I think I can take care of that though." She said softly.

"Awww, yeaaaa" Ron moaned as Kim wrapped her hand around the erect member she affectionately refers to as 'The Ron Dog.'

There was a loud splash as water covered the two teens. Kim gasped in surprise. Ron quickly sat up to see what had happened. In the dim light he saw an object floating in the water. Suddenly he knew what the object was, a football.

"POSSIBLE, STOPPABLE PUT YOUR CLOTHES ON AND GET BACK TO YOUR ROOMS PRONTO!" Barkin ordered.

Kim gasped, "Oh no..."

"THAT GOES FOR YOU TOO, BROTHERS POSSIBLE!" Barkin bellowed.

"_Awwwwwww"_

Kim quickly scrambled for her clothes but they weren't where she dropped them. "Those Tweebs stole my clothes." Kim said in disbelief as she looked around the pool area.

She grabbed Ron's Avalanche hockey jersey and quickly tugged it on, "I'm sorry Ron, but I've got to get to those two before they find mom and dad." Kim quickly exited the hot tub and pulled on Ron's pants and ran off.

Ron stood naked in the hot tub, _"What about me?"_

He sighed and climbed out, slid on his boxers, picked up his socks and made his way back to his room. When Ron reached the door he felt sick to his stomach. His card key was in his pants, which were currently being worn by a certain red headed cheerleader.

Ron sighed, _"Player of the game, part of a state champion football team, and I still lose my pants."_

* * *

Ron stopped talking and turned his attention to Monique, "What's so funny?" 

Monique crossed her arms defiantly, "You!"

"Me, why am I funny?" Ron asked as he tried to keep a straight face.

"The rise of the Ron Dog..." Monique said as she tried to sound mysterious only to burst out laughing again, "Oh God, you got to wonder about men who name their penises."

Ron flinched, "I didn't name it the Ron Dog, Kim did."

"Ohhhhhhh sure, she did." Monique said with a note of disbelief in her voice.

"Shaaaa, it was at the prom, we parked off in the dark secluded spot, we let the seats back and...She made the Ron Dog sit up and bark." Ron said coyly.

Monique chuckled, "Hun, senior prom was long after the state championship game." She reminded him.

Ron mused as he rubbed his chin. "She was worried about the stains on the cars headliner and I was worried about the stains on my rented tux. I didn't want to lose my deposit."

"Ewwww...TMI, babe." She said as she wrinkled her nose at him.

Ron looked towards Eaton and rubbed the back of his neck, "Hmmmm, maybe it was me that named him..."

Eaton Trendle was trying hard to keep a straight objective face, "So did the two of you get into much trouble?"

"Oh...not too much..." Ron said as a far away look over took him.

* * *

Ron finally pulled himself out of bed and made his way through the shower. Block had finally got out of bed around 4:00 AM to let him into the room Getting him up at 8:00 AM had proved to be something of a challenge. He was still tired and sore from the night before. He looked at his reflection in the mirror, _"I still can't believe we won that game."_

He packed his overnight bag and headed out of the room towards the lobby. Kim had returned his clothes earlier in the day. She sheepishly told him how sorry she was about taking his room key. A trace of a smile crossed his face as he walked outside. He couldn't help thinking how sexy she looked when she was sheepish or how sexy she was wearing his hockey jersey and nothing else.

The team's luggage caddy sat near the bus. Ron dropped his bag on top. He spotted the Possible family nearby, _"I think it's time to go say Ola to the family Possible."_ He thought happily.

Ron made his way down the row of buses to the where the Possible's were. James Possible's tone however froze him in his tracks, "Now Jim and Tim, they'll be no posting of your sisters pornography video on the internet."

Jim frowned, "Awwww, but you can barely tell it's her..."

"Yea, Ron's on top of her..." Tim helped to explain.

Ron turned on his heels and quickly disappeared into the happy crowd, _"I guess I'll say Ola to the Family Possible another day. Momma didn't raise no fools, yup, yup..."_

He spotted Coach Barkin in the distance talking to a couple of police officers. He made his way over to see what was going on, _"Maybe we're getting a police escort out of town because we're the champions?"_ He thought optimistically.

"CHEESE AND CRACKERS OFFICER, How should I know how many of our cheerleaders know martial arts." Barkin wailed.

Once again Ron spun in his tracks and headed for the team bus, _"I think I'll just stay out of the way."_

* * *

Eaton Trendle smiled, "So no one really got into trouble." 

Ron looked to Monique as he thought about it, "Oh I think some charges were filed but nothing ever came of it."

"Kim was charged with several dozen counts of assault and battery." Monique said as she tried to remember.

"Legendary Rockwood football coach Dan Harding pressed charges against Coach Barkin for punching him in the mouth...I missed that one, wish I saw it. Coach Barkin said they got the wrong man it was actually Magilla Gorilla that punched him. I didn't really understand that one." Ron said as he strained his memory.

"I understand that charges were brought against you as well?" Eaton asked looking for some clarification.

Ron shrugged, "Not charges, Coach Harding filed a civil suit against me. Claimed I caused him much pain and suffering when I ran that ball back for a touchdown."

Monique nodded, "The volcano went off soon after that, so nothing really went to trial."

Eaton nodded, "Sounds like Coach Dan Harding wasn't a very good sport."

Ron chuckled, "The man was an asshole."

"So that brings us back to the days after the Lowardian's attacked." Eaton said as he was clearly wanted to discuss things other than football.

"Lowardians, no one said anything about Lowardians?" Monique said nervously.

Eaton rolled his eyes, "Everyone knows that we were invaded by people from outer space. The only ones that don't want to admit it is the Federal Government."

Ron shook his head, "I...I made that mistaken assumption a number of years ago. The IRS was going to imprison me for tax evasion while they investigated my finances."

Monique nodded, "So it's a volcano."

"Once we came around to the official story all my legal and tax problems went away." Ron said bitterly.

Eaton shook his head, "They can't do stuff like that."

"Oh yes they can." Monique said angrily.

"And oh yes they did." Ron supported his wife's statement with a bitter laugh.

"So you just changed your story, truth doesn't matter." Eaton said indignantly.

Ron sighed, "I was a father with small children. Do you think I wanted to go to prison? Leave Monique by herself..."

Monique frowned, "I had an IRS suit tell me bad things can happen to women and children while they're men are in prison."

Eaton sat back in his chair, "But they can't do that."

"Look Eaton, I'm happy to tell you things about your mother or to tell you what it was like after...after. But if your looking for someone to spearhead a cause. It's not going to be me. This is a fight for a younger generation." Ron said patiently.

"Kim Possible is not afraid to talk about it." Eaton reminded him.

Ron laughed, "Yea and the mainstream media are making her out to be a nut job. Take last night for instance a sports show in which they ask not one single sports question to her. It was a hatchet job to make her look foolish so she won't run for the Presidency."

Eaton frowned, realizing that Ron was right, "Alright, alright, let's parse this as a hypothetical situation."

"Ahhhhh, Change the parameters and framework of the argument. What College did you go to again?" Ron asked with a knowing grin.

"My family sent me to Berkley." Eaton said sheepishly.

Ron laughed, "Ah, a Beserkley radical."

Eaton groaned at being labeled a radical but pressed on, "Hypothetically...The Lowardians attacked the Western United States in the late spring of 2007."

"OK, I think I can do that, hypothetically speaking." Ron chuckled.

"Fine, why Middleton, why did they do the things they did?" Eaton asked.

Ron chuckled, "You need to ask a Lowardian." Then he sighed and continued on, "Who knows why they did what they did. There really wasn't much of a battle strategy involved in the attack. Just destroy stuff and kill people."

"There must have been a cause, something to provoke them." Eaton pressed.

He thought about Kim's battle the year before with Warmonga but decided it was best if he left the two of them out of the equation. Kim had already spent over 40 years punishing herself for the invasion and he didn't want to cause her anymore pain.

"Maybe they didn't like our TV shows, maybe they didn't like our war of terror, maybe they just had an itch they needed scratched, I don't know. As far as their chosen targets...Phewwww..." Ron threw up his hands.

Eaton winced, "I just wish I could make sense out of all this. Did mom really have to die? What happened to my grandparents?"

"I can't make sense of things myself. Why fly trillions of miles to wipe out a town? Why leave Las Vegas unscathed but wipe out Reno? Why fly over hardened bunkers housing nuclear missiles and hit a swimming pool with 100 people in it? Why fly over Area 51 and destroy a shopping mall? Why strike at a little insignificant high school on graduation night?"

"But why, what was the reasoning? I mean these are a supposedly advanced species, why did they attack and what or who actually defeated them?" Eaton asked.

Monique could hear the sadness in Eaton's voice. She looked at Ron to see if he was really going to tell him the truth or just parts of it. She knew that he wasn't going to talk about how it was he that saved humanity that day. The Government would come and lock him away with Kim for eternity and they would both be labeled as kooks. She frowned as angry thoughts filled her head, _"Figures Drakken and Shego are heroes celebrated by the United Nations, and Kim and Ron are minor footnotes in the pages of history. Strange world we live in."_

Ron frowned, "Not everything is supposed to make sense. You just have to accept the way things were and move on. You had to learn to live like Bugs Bunny."

"Bugs Bunny?" Monique said quizzically.

Annie and Myracle reappeared poolside. Ron looked over to them, "Pull up a chair. Daddy is going to talk about back in the day."

Annie shook her head, "You never talk about back in the day."

Myracle grinned, "More graphic talk about sex that I'm not old enough to understand."

"Hush girl..." Monique said sternly.

"Getting back to Bugs Bunny..." Eaton said as he tried to steer the direction of the discussion once again.

Monique smiled, "Yea, I'd like to know about Bugs Bunny."

Ron sighed, "Bugs Bunny is a metaphor for how we had to live. You remember Bugs would always be burrowing under the ground to travel to these exotic locations only to never quite make it?"

Myracle chuckled, "Yea...What's a metaphor?"

Annie grinned, "It's a really big rock that hits the earth's atmosphere but that's not important right now."

Ron narrowed his eyes at his daughters attempt at humor, "Don't listen to your sister. A metaphor compares seemingly unrelated subjects. Such as Bugs Bunny to Genocide. Am I making sense?"

"No..." Myracle said still not comprehending what her father was saying.

"Don't worry about it dear, you come by your lack of understanding honestly." Monique said as she winked at Ron.

"Oh sure make fun my high school grades." Ron chuckled.

"Bugs Bunny?" Eaton said patiently.

"Oh yea, well Bugs would pop out of this hole look around realize he wasn't where he was supposed to be and say something like..." Ron tried his best to impersonate the famous cartoon rabbit, "Ehhhhhh, this isn't Miami Beach, shouldn't have taken that left turn at Kookamonga."

The girls laughed. Monique shook her head, "I think you've taken one hit too many dear."

Ron frowned and ignored the laughs, "Well, when Bugs would come out of the rabbit hole. He never knew who or what he was going to face and whatever came at him he would just have to deal with it."

Monique nodded now that she was starting to see where her husband was going, "Oh, he never knew if he was going to have to face Yosimite Sam or...that one guy with the funny hat?"

Ron shook his head, "I don't..."

"You know the one that's always hunting wabbits..." Monique explained.

"Ohhhhhh, Elmo Fudd..." Ron exclaimed as he thought he remembered the old characters name.

Annie and Myracle looked at one another and shrugged. They both knew there was no point in correcting their dad when he was on a roll. So if he said Elmo instead of Elmer, it was Elmo, so they would just have to deal with it.

"So when ever we woke up in the mornings after the attack, we had no idea what we were going to face that day. We just had to deal with it as it came." Ron explained.

* * *

Two teenagers relaxed propped up against the side of an old car to stay out of the early June sun. There was nothing but wreckage and destruction as far as the eye could see around them. Kim looked down the street and watched her family dig through the wreckage of what had once been her home. Ron also did the same. Only he had to look directly in front of him to watch his parents dig through what had once been their home. 

It was the only home either of them had ever known and in a blink of an eye it was all rubble. Graduation night had been an adventure neither would forget. Kim was abducted by aliens, Ron standing tall to save his love, working with Dr. Drakken and Shego, to devise a strategy to save the world.

Their parents did their best to shield them from what was happening. The planned party at Lake Middleton went on as scheduled. They partied and celebrated long into Saturday night and right on through Sunday. Now it was Monday morning and the harsh realities of their situation was staring them right in the face.

This was a new experience for both of them. They had always managed to save the world with minimum of destruction and chaos. There never seemed to be any real loss of human life. Nothing like this, never anything like this, nothing could have prepared them for this.

The smell of death was on the air. People trapped in burned out destroyed homes, dead bodies being piled up like cord wood along the sides of roads, dead pets, dead dreams. They had defended the earth, defended humanity, won a war against a monsterous race from another planet only to loose the peace.

They had spent three days and nights in their clothing. They smelled bad but they didn't seem to notice. Only because everyone else smelled bad and the smell of death over took the smell of their body funk.

Kim sighed as she turned back towards Ron, "I spy with my little eye...Something that begins with the letter...D"

"Debris." Ron said flatly.

"Right" Kim sighed again.

Ron looked around, "I spy with my little eye...Something that begins with the letter...D."

Kim frowned, "Debris..."

"Not the D word I was thinking of."

"Destruction..." Kim guessed again.

Ron nodded his head, "That's the one."

"Ronald come help us try to find...anything...not destroyed." Mr. Stoppable called.

Ron stood up, as did Kim, "I guess I better go do the same back home."

A brown Chevrolet C10 pickup truck rounded the corner and slowed to a stop in front of the Stoppables. A hispanic man in an old flanel shirt and straw cowboy hat was driving. Steve Barkin was in the passenger seat. Steve opened the door and climbed out of the truck, "Stoppable, Smarty Mart opens tomorrow at 07:00 be there at 05:00 for orientation."

"Smarty Mart's not destroyed?" Ron said excitedly.

A look of pride came over Barkin's face, "It's intact, looters got most of everything, but the structure is sound."

Kim looked at the man driving the truck, "So...Steve, who's your friend?"

Ron grinned realizing that Mr. Barkin was no longer The Man, "Yea, Steve who's your friend."

Steve winced at the overly familiar teens before he turned back towards the truck, "Oh, this is my special friend Manuel."

The two teen heroes looked to one another and began snickering.

Barkin narrowed his eyes, "Not that special."

They watched Steve get back in the truck, then he and Manuel left the subdivision. Kim turned to Ron, "Well at least you still have a job. The Middleton Mall and the downtown shopping district is toast."

Ron nodded, "Yea...I guess that's lucky..."

Kim hugged him and gave him a kiss, "Walk down later and we'll try to scavenge for something to eat."

"You got it."

She walked to her car and drove down the hill. Ron watched her till she made it home. He turned to go to his family. Hana was sitting on the ground throwing broken pieces of house into the air. He smiled at her, "Nothing keeps you down, does it?"

"Ronald, come help me with this."

He turned and made his way gingerly towards his mother, "That looks heavy."

His mother nodded, sweat and dirt caked her face. A note of desperation in her tone, "I think we're about down to your bedroom now."

Ron helped her throw the splintered beam off to the side. Something shiny caught his attention, "Hey, my portable DVD player...Still intact." He opened it up and grinned, "Look Han...Flippies..."

"Ronald!"

"Sorry mom..." He said as he dug through more debris looking for anything useful.

He spotted his old hockey jersey and pulled it out of the debris. Much to his dismay it was burned and had holes in it, "Looks like I won't be wearing this anymore."

"Hey, look what I found..."

"What did you find Walter?" Connie Stoppable asked as she made her way down from the debris pile.

Ron followed careful not trip as he made his way towards his father. He frowned when he saw what his father was holding, _"Lose everything and the Garden Gnome makes it out unscathed."_

Connie Stoppable put her hands on her hips, "Is that it? Let's try to find something where...where the kitchen would have been." She said sadly.

Walter Stoppable handed the ceramic lawn ornament to his son, "Do something with this, while I help your mother."

He watched till his father was out of earshot, "So Gnome we meet again." He said in a low menacing voice. He looked around again to make sure his parents weren't watching and chucked the lawn ornament into the large debris pile.

"_Help me..."_

Ron jumped when he heard the faint voice. He tapped on his pocket for Rufus., "Wake up...I need you..."

The sleepy and hungry mole rat popped out of his pocket, "Huh?"

"Go check out debris and see if the Garden Gnome is calling for help." Ron whispered.

Rufus shuttered, "Nuh huh..."

"_Please help me..."_

Ron could hear the voice a little better that time. It was a women's voice. He called out, "I can hear you."

"_Help me..."_

"Next door, Mrs. Deppee..." Ron said as he ran to the debris field next door.

"Ronald, wait..." His father called out as he tried to catch up to his son.

He looked all around what was once Mrs. Deppee's house. She was a retired school teacher and was friends with Ronalds's parents. He heard a gasp coming from near the front of the pile. The he spotted her. He could just barely make out her face and arm as it was buried underneath the splintered and destroyed wreck of her home. He raced forward and dropped to his knees to see her better, "Mrs. Deppee?"

The elderly woman's face had dried caked blood covering it. Her eyes were barely open. Ron could see a spark of life left in them. He reached for her hand, "We'll get you out of there."

"I don't...oh my..." She said as she stopped breathing.

Ron got to his feet and started to frantically move things off the top of the pile to try and reach the old woman. Until a warm hand touched his shoulder, "Ronald, it's too late for that."

He turned to his father and said softly, "But...but, she'll die under there."

"She already has Ronald, you need to come back and help your mother and I now." He said softly.

Ron nodded his head and followed his father.

* * *

Eaton Trendle frowned, "So was there many people like that, buried alive under the ruble of their homes?" 

Ron frowned, "I'm sure there was. There was no way to help them. There was no emergency services, no sanitation, no electricity, no water...no food, no shelter."

"So what did you do?" The author asked.

He looked to Monique, She shrugged, "Nothing we could do. We just stayed near our families."

Ron nodded, "Yea, I think dad and mom just wanted to keep us busy so we wouldn't get down. There wasn't anything really salvageable. Not after the fires went out. Luckily my portable DVD player made it through undamaged. Of course there was no way to run it, no electricity, no batteries."

"What was the population of Middleton at that time?"

"Middleton was around 33,000 or so. After the attack it was maybe around 13,000 to 14,000. After my senior year in college there were around 8,000 or so if that." Ron said sadly.

"Why did the population drop in 4 years?" Eaton asked.

Ron leaned back in his chair, "Well...people left to find work, people left to find family, others just disappeared."

Eaton Trendle turned to Monique, "So did you lose much family to the attack?"

Monique took a deep breath, "Well I don't think so. Not after the initial attack. After we had to move into the FEMA neighborhoods is when I was...separated from my family."

"Ron, did you lose much family to the attack?"

He took a moment to gather his thoughts, before nodding his head, "About... a week after the attack, once bodies began to be recovered..." He stopped for a moment again to collect his thoughts, "FEMA set up a temporary morgue out at Tweeter's farm. They laid the bodies out in the fields so you could make your way through and identify them or claim them if they were family members..."

"FEMA, was the old Federal Emergency Management Agency?"

Ron nodded, "Yea, yea...So...my dad and I drove out to Tweeter's farm to see if there were any family there that we knew to be missing. The bodies were hard to identify as it was warm and they were decomposing, hard to recognize someone after they start to bloat...Awful smell." Ron said as scrunched up his nose. "Dad tore up an old t-shirt he had in the car, handed me a piece to tie over our faces. The smell was awful and we hadn't even made it inside the ropes yet. "

Ethan Trendel nodded his head, "So would you say FEMA was disrespectful of the dead, or negligent on how the bodies were handled?"

He sighed and thought about it, "No...no...I mean there wasn't any place to put them. There weren't many structures left. Middleton Hospital was destroyed, along with most of the mortuary businesses. They could have used the high school's gymnasium but it would have been too small. So what are you going to do? So many bodies, they were laid out as far as the eye could see."

"I can imagine this is difficult for you to talk about." Eaton said softly.

Ron let out a deep breath, "Yea...So they had the bodies sectioned off by address, family or who they were found with. Names if they had ID on them that wasn't burned. We found my cousin Reuben and his wife. They had only been married a year or so. Dad recognized Reuben...I...I couldn't..." He stopped talking to fight back tears caused by memories long buried.

Monique stood from her chair and embraced him, "It's alright baby. You don't have to talk no more if you don't want to."

Ron chuckled as he wiped tears from his eyes, "No, no...I'm alright. You can see why we don't talk about it much. It's too hard."

"So you guys have the week off then you play Boston College?" Annie asked, hoping to have her dad talk about something that made him happy.

He chuckled, "You don't have to change the subject on my account."

"If you'd rather talk about something..." Eaton asked sympathetically.

Ron shook his head, "No, no...I just haven't thought about these things in so long. Well my father identified my cousin Reuben and his wife and arranged to have them buried later that day. We moved on and I spotted four little boys laid out together. One was my cousin Shawn. The bodies...were pretty torn up."

"You don't have to..." Monique began.

"Yes, yes I do...Someone needs to know. The boys hid under a tree when the attack came. Shawn had a large limb go through his chest when the tree exploded." Ron began to tear up again, "We never really got along, but he didn't deserve to die like that...not like that."

Ron broke down again. Monique wrapped Ron up in her arms and cried too, "He never told me about this..."

Annie turned to Myracle, "Go inside and get mom and dad some water."

The young girl was transfixed. She knew her parents had been through a lot and had really bonded but she never had any idea as to just what they went through. She stood up from her chair and ran inside as quick as she could to get some bottled water out of the refrigerator.

"Dad, Myracle is going to get you some water, OK." Annie said softly.

Ron tried to smile as he nodded. Monique held him tighter to him. Ron began to pull away chuckling, "Sorry about this...I...I just don't like remembering too much about the early days." He wiped his eyes, "I remember Shawn was clutching that damn lizard of his...It was dead too, all dried out..."

Myracle returned with the bottled water, "Here you go daddy."

He took the water, "Thank you baby...We never did find his parents...They're probably buried under one of those Unknown 139 People markers...Mom took it hard." Ron said softly.

Eaton decided to change the topic, "So you still had job after all the destruction."

Ron took a deep breath, "Yea...It was rough the first day though. People were crazy."

* * *

"Ronald, wake up..." His father said softly so as not to wake the rest of the family. 

The family was asleep on the ground in the backyard of what had once been their home. Ron opened his eyes and looked around, "Whaaaaaa..."

"It's 4:00 in the morning. We'll have to leave now in order to get to Smarty Mart at 5:00." His father explained.

Smarty Mart, he thought as he tried to clear his thoughts, "Oh yea...I wish I had a change of clothes." He muttered.

"Maybe you will be able to buy them at work."

Ron groaned as he picked himself up off of the hard ground. He was stiff from having to sleep outdoors. He didn't complain though because everyone had to sleep out doors. He looked around at his mother, Hana and Rufus sleeping as best they could on the ground, "Are we going to wake them up too?"

His mother stirred, "It's OK Ronald, I'm up. I just want Hana to get a full night of sleep she whispered."

Ron walked to the family car with his dad. His father was sleeping inside the car to make sure no one would try to steal their gasoline. Walter Stoppable had the presence of mind to fill his tank before the attack and now was glad he did. Now that Middleton and surrounding regions were flattened this was the only petrol he was going to be able use for quite sometime.

Walter started up the car as Ron slid into the passenger's seat. He turned on the radio and tried to find a station. His father watched as he hit seek only to come up empty. Ron shrugged, "I guess nothing on the air around here."

"Try the AM band..."

"Shaaaaa, nobody listens to AM stations dad." Ron said incredulously.

Walter frowned, "Son AM signals travel much farther than FM stations."

"Oh" Ron said as he fiddled with the radio.

"_KNEB Scottsbluff, Nebraska..."_

"Here we go." Ron said as he sat back in the seat.

"_Whether you own a popup camper or motor coach, Larry's RV in North Platte is the sales and service leader in the region. Drop on by Larry's and check out the new Jayco series 5__th__ wheel campers and tell them over night Les sent you."_

"Wish we had something like that now." Ron said wearily as they past a Quick Mart that was still burning.

His father nodded absently, "I wonder how long it will take to burn out all of the gas from those underground tanks?"

"_Leithead's Appliance Center, for all your Maytag and Whirlpool needs, and Leithead's is also an authorized service center should your Maytag or Whirlpool appliances need servicing. Leithead's in beautiful Torrington, Wyoming."_

"Sounds like Nebraska got spared."

Ron frowned and said sadly, "Probably nothing worth destroying in Nebraska."

"_Here is some news for our neighbors to the west, who are able to receive our signal. Help is on the way, over the weekend the President signed a 25.5 billion dollar relief package for those in the stricken states of, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Oregon, and Northern California."_

Walter Stoppable slowed to a stop at a stop sign. Ron tried to ask him something but his father had his hand up. He could tell the old man was running a math problem in his head, "They must be joking, that is less than money than he granted for Hurricane Katrina."

Ron screwed up his face trying to take in what his father was telling him, "Huh?"

"Katrina the bailout was 10.5 billion for 3 states. This is 25.5 for 6 states, that's a drop in the bucket as to what the real cost is going to be." Mr. Stoppable fumed.

"_The President has also ordered that all of the National Guard units from the states affected by the comet impact will be moved to the head of the line for redeployment back to the states. So you should see your guard units returning home by early September."_

Walter Stoppable shook his head as he switched off the radio, "This is June, and we need them now. He sends the vast bulk of our National Guard units to Iraq, now we have a disaster at home and there's no one to help us."

Ron could see emergency lights in the distance, "What's that?"

"Police road block." Walter mumbled as he approached.

What was left of the Middleton police force was now controlling the entry and exit points for the large Smarty Mart store. An officer signaled for them to turn around. Mr. Stoppable waved from the window, "My son is to report for work at 5."

The policeman looked inside the car, "What's your name?"

"Ron Stoppable..." He answered.

The officer stood up and keyed his radio, "I have a Don Droppable out here that claims he works inside."

"_He's on the list..."_

"You'll have to get out here." Then the office looked at Mr. Stoppable, "Turn around and go back where you came from. It's dangerous to be out. You can get killed for a few gallons of gas."

Ron looked at his father nervously, "Well...I guess, I'll see you later..."

"I will try and make it back later in the afternoon to check on you." Walter Stoppable said as he tried to keep his voice calm.

He stepped out of the car and waved to his dad as he backed the car away from the road block. Ron was scared he was never going to see his family again. He watched his father drive away until he could no long see his taillights.

"Alright Droppable, I need you to stand with the others over there." The officer commanded.

Ron walked over to other people he knew from the store. Now he felt a bit better, "Hey Gary"

Gary Aubuchon who worked in automotive nodded his head, "Hey Ron"

"What are we waiting for?" He asked.

Jill Dorries a girl from Lowerton that worked in the Home and Garden department pointed towards a golf cart coming up the hill, "A ride to the back entrance."

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Things got ugly last night around mid-night. One of the overnight employees was shot as he was coming into work. So the police have shut the entrances down till things cool down." She answered.

The golf cart arrived to shuttle them down the hill. A Sheriff's deputy was driving the cart and over the dash was a shotgun to use on anyone that wanted to stop him from getting to his destination.

The three employees climbed on the cart. The rode down the hill in silence, swaying side to side as the cart made its way to the store. Until Ron gasped as he saw the mass of people in front of the store and the armed policemen in guarding it. There must have been a thousand people in the parking lot screaming insults at the police, then at them as soon as they were spotted, _"This does not bode well."_ Ron thought nervously as they went around the side of the building.

"Ron!"

He looked around for who had called out his name. The cart stopped suddenly and the deputy grabbed the shotgun and quickly switched on the flashlight attached to the bottom of it. He pointed it towards the voice and the shape that had emerged from the darkness, "Any closer and I'll shoot." The man said nervously.

"Wa...Wa...Wade?" Ron stammered amazed to see his friend in such a state.

"I need a computer Ron, anything, I'll take an E-Machine if I have to...Hook me up buddy." The dazed computer genius begged.

"Get to the front of the store...NOW!" The deputy barked.

Wade backed away, "Please Ron...Not having a rig is killing me."

Ron his mouth still open nodded dumbly as Wade made his way towards the parking lot out front. He made a mental note to set aside a computer for Wade if he could find one inside.

"They're might be more so keep your eyes open." The deputy warned.

There was no further trouble as the cart pulled up outside the back entrance. Then a girl holding a baby ran forward towards Ron. The deputy with the shotgun stepped in front of her.

She was crying, "Please I just need 2 cans of Similac for my baby...I...I can...do things for you." She said trying to sound sexy as she tried to pull her shirt down to reveal a small amount of cleavage.

"STOPPABLE, QUIT OGGLING THE HARLOT AND COME INSIDE!"

Ron jumped at the sound of Barkin's voice and then turned away from the desperate woman. He walked up the steps to the back employee entrance. Reality was once again taking hold. How could they open if there was no electricity, how could they do anything without computers?

He joined the other three workers inside and waited for Barkin to close and lock the backdoor. He turned on them and took a whiff, "You people smell." He pointed towards a small stack of deodorant and bottled water, "Take a deodorant bar, a bottle of water, there's some shampoo in the locker room." Then he pointed towards a pile of clothes on the ground, "See if anything fits over there and get out of those clothes you've been wearing for the last 5 days."

The pile of clothes was quickly gone over. Ron found a pair of pants that were a size too small and a shirt that was not only ugly but a 2XL, something that made him feel as if he were wearing a circus tent. Still beggars couldn't be choosers as he grabbed a pack of boxers and a pack of socks. He chuckled as he looked at the bag as if it were a true luxury item.

He went into the locker room and gasped as he saw what he looked like in the mirror. Covered in soot from digging through the debris of what was his home. Hair matted down from sweat. He was a mess. There was still no running water so Ron washed off as best he could in the sink, then washed his hair with the bottled water. He changed into the new clothes, and was surprised at how good it made him feel to be clean.

"You ready to go see what kind of zoo, we have waiting for us Ron?" Dave asked.

Ron frowned, he was hungry. The can of baked beans that they found in the remains of the kitchen had long since worn off. A large can of baked beans split between 3 adults, 1 toddler and a naked mole rat didn't go very far. Now he was wishing he had something to eat. He turned and looked at Dave, "Yea, I'm about ready. You wouldn't happen to have anything to snack on in that locker would you?"

"Nope, I guess we'll have to see what the looters left us." He said sadly as he left the locker room.

Following behind the man, Ron made his way towards the front. Barkin was waiting on them, "Stoppable, get a dust mop and go through the aisles. Aubuchon get back to automotive and see what kind of inventory we have left."

Dave walked away but Ron didn't move. He was feeling just a bit cocky now that he was a high school graduate, "Well now that I'm out of high school, Barkin. I don't really have to do what you say anymore."

Barkin frowned, "That's Mr. Barkin to you."

"You're not the boss…."

Mr. Barkin grinned and pointed to his badge, "Read it and weep Stoppable."

Ron narrowed his eyes to better see the badge in the dim light, "Steven Barkin…CSM!!! Oh nooooooooo…"

"That's right Stoppable, Customer Service Manager, now get sweeping."

"But…but what happened to Mrs. Sloan?" Ron protested.

"It seems she got herself vaporized Friday night." Barkin explained.

Ron sighed, "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"This is my way of telling you, now get to work." Barkin ordered.

* * *

Eaton Trendle made a few notes, "So in the days after the attack it was called a comet strike?" 

"Yep until September when it was decided that it was really a volcano." Ron said with a grin.

"So how was Smarty Mart able to open without electricity?"

Ron chuckled, "Well we didn't. We had the generators in place, but no way to hook up the cash registers to the computer network. There was to be a satellite truck coming to help network things but it was late. So I cleaned in near darkness till seven o'clock and then we fired the big diesel generators up."

"So what did your families do for food?" The author asked.

Monique shrugged, "Daddy had a large freezer in the garage that he kept his hunting meat in. So we barbequed, had to cook the meat before it spoiled."

"I wish we lived closer, we had cans of vegetables and fruit. No way to cook it so we ate it cold." Ron said as he made a face.

"How badly was Smarty Mart looted?"

Ron let out a deep breath, "Well…We didn't have much to sell. I know it sounds weird but people had money, but there was nothing left, we were cleaned out. I cleaned the back part of the store. There was a lot of blood on the floor from people fighting one another."

"So were you able to get food from Smarty Mart? You said you were starving."

His eyes welled up with tears once again, "When I was pushing the dust mop around the aisles…I saw a package of Hostess Snowball's that had been squashed and kicked under some shelving units…I hid in the back and devoured it. Closest I think I've ever come to eating out of a garbage can. I felt so guilty because my family didn't have anything…" He said as he wiped his eyes.

Eaton saw that he was losing Ron so he decided to change the direction of the interview, "Monique, how did you become separated from your family?"

Monique frowned and picked up a paper napkin from under her coffee cup. She fidgeted in her chair, "Well…we were given a choice of being relocated to Boulder by bus or to move into the newly created Doe Run mobile home park."

Ron frowned, "One of the neighborhoods."

"Yea, well…Daddy was a manager at the Pepsi Cola bottling plant so…he thought they would be up and running and our house would be under construction. So he chose Doe Run." Monique explained as her lip trembled.

"If you hadn't already packed up and left, FEMA gave you those two choices. Be moved out to Boulder, or move into temporary housing in one of the friendly neighborhoods." Ron explained.

Monique laughed bitterly, "I don't know why they wanted to send people to Boulder? They were in about the same shape as us."

"So Monique was in Doe Run and your family was located in Pheasant Ridge?" Eaton asked.

Ron nodded, "Yep, or as we called it Little Jerusalem. They wanted to try social engineering and move one Jewish family in per neighborhood….but that didn't fly too well with us. So Rabbi Katz went to bat for us. He played a big role in keeping us all together."

"Why was it important to stay together? "

"Well…Jews are the traditional scapegoat for everything that goes wrong. If we were separated we could be…It was just better we stuck together as a group. We could watch out for each other then." Ron explained.

"Of all the temporary neighborhoods that was setup. Doe Run was the most notorious. Why do you think that was?" Eaton asked as he looked towards Monique.

Monique frowned, "Well…Uh…Doe Run was where everyone else went. People that were mentally ill, criminals, ummm…homeless people…the fringe. It was also the furthest away from the Middleton. So police, ambulance and fire protection was nonexistent once they restored services. So it was kind of an ugly and brutal place."

"So why did they put your family there?"

"Because we were Black, at least that's what daddy said." Monique said quietly.

"The official reason was it was because of alphabetical order. Monique's maiden name was Williams….but no one really believed that." Ron said sadly.

"So how did you get separated from your family then?" Eaton asked softly.

* * *

Monique's family arrived at their new residence at 2:30 in the afternoon one week after the attack occurred. She was struck by the dirt roads and the rows of FEMA temporary housing. She frowned as she watched clouds of dirt swirl in the wind from the yards of the newly relocated mobile homes. 

"Well this is it..." Anthony Williams said as he frowned at the mobile home.

Janee' Williams smiled wearily, "It's only temporary Tony."

Keyshawn Williams frowned, "Do we get to keep the drunk pissing in the front yard?"

Anthony Williams spun and saw the old homeless man urinating in front of their new home, "HEY, GO PISS IN YOUR OWN YARD." He yelled and then to emphasize his point he picked up a rock from the yard and threw it at the man.

The man flipped him the bird and ranted crazily as he stumbled along his way. Monique screwed up her face in disgust as the man hadn't even bothered to tuck himself away when he finished urinating.

Lionel Williams, Monique's oldest brother shook his head, "Crazy folk, shouldn't even be in the street."

Monique lifted an eyebrow to her elder brother, "Just what makes you think he's crazy? Other than he likes to pee in public." She asked trying her best to keep a straight face.

Lionel Williams was a slender 6 foot 2 inch basketball player at Go City University, where he graduated with a degree in marketing the previous year. He was the brother the others looked up to. He was visiting from Go City when the Lorwardians attacked. Monique was happy he was stranded just having his precedence along with her fathers that much more comforting.

"Because he's wearing a winter coat in June, that's usually a good tip off." He informed his little sister.

The family walked towards the wrought iron metal stairs that led to the front door. Mr. Williams opened the manila envelope marked, _"Williams, Doe Run, Road H, box 341."_ He sighed as he pulled out the two keys and handed one to his wife.

Jenee' took the key and watched as her husband opened the front door, "Well, it looks nice from the outside." She said hopefully as she followed her husband inside.

Anthony Williams looked around, "Well it's not as bad as I thought it would be."

Monique looked over the unfurnished mobile home, "This is just temporary?"

Keyshawn smirked at his sister, "You think you're too good for this place?"

"Key, don't start with your sister." His mother warned.

Mr. Williams smiled at his daughter, "Yes, they should begin rebuilding things pretty quick. Get the bottling company going again, and then they should be starting work on rebuilding our house." He said trying to sound optimistic.

"Maybe you can find a proud black man to be with out here." Keyshawn taunted.

Monique spun around, "Boy, you better shut that mouth or I'm going to shut it for you."

Gun shots from outside caught everyone's attention. Anthony Williams being an avid hunter could tell the shots were fired from nearby, "Everyone on the floor...NOW!" He said urgently as he tugged his wife to the ground.

"Daddy?" Monique whimpered.

Soon the shots were over and they could only hear loud angry voices from outside. Mrs. Williams who was still on the floor of the mobile home with her family looked at her husband, "They said there were to be no guns in these neighborhoods."

Mr. Williams frowned, "Well clearly there are guns here. I wish I could have salvaged some of my old hunting rifles."

Lionel looked out the window, "HEY THEY'RE STEALING OUR CAR."

"OH, HELL NO!" Anthony Williams dashed for the front door only to meet up with a gun wielding teen.

The kid looked angry. He had already smashed the driver's side window out of the Lexus GS, "You want some of this old man?" He screamed as he waved the pistol in Mr. Williams's direction.

Anthony Williams held up his hands, "You won't get far, there's not much gas in it."

"FUCK YOU!" He snarled as he opened fire on Mr. Williams.

The elder Williams ducked inside the house screaming for everyone to get down. Monique hugged the floor as bullets pierced the mobile home. She shut her eyes tight as she could hear glass shattering all around her. Next thing she heard was her mother wail. Monique looked up to see her brother had been shot.

* * *

"Momma, are you alright." Mryacle asked. 

Monique stopped talking and was trying hard not to burst into tears. Ron moved closer to her and took her into his arms as she finally broke down. Monique sobbed, "There was no one to call. Daddy looked at Lionel and then ran back to the front of the house. The kid ran off. So we bundled Lionel up and put him in the backseat of the car. He died before we could find anyplace to take him." She sobbed.

"So is that when you left Doe Run?" Eaton asked quietly.

"No...That came later." Monique sobbed.

"You want to rest Monique?" Annie asked.

Ron agreed, "Annie's right, take a break." He looked over to Eaton, "You see why we don't talk about it much."

Monique shook her head, "No, no...Just give me a bit to sort myself out."

Annie stood up, "I have to leave. I have to pickup Robert at the airport then swing by his mother's and pickup the kids."

Ron and Monique both stood and hugged her, "Give Robert our love." Monique said as she wiped her eyes.

"I hate leaving. You guys never really talk about those days." Annie said before she turned to Myracle and made a fist, "No giving your mother trouble today."

"I...I won't." She said clearly moved by what had happened to Monique when she was her age.

"Nice meeting you Mr. Trendle. Let me know if you're going to interview the Wicked Witch of the West. I'd like to set in on that one." Annie said with a malicious grin.

"Annie..." Ron said sternly.

She smirked at her father, "I know...I know, cut my mother some slack. I don't know how you were able to put up with her?" She said as she left the pool side table and headed inside.

Eaton looked at Ron, "Doesn't get along with her mother?"

Ron rolled his eyes, "They're too much a like. God save us from the hard headed women."

Monique smiled at Ron wearily, as she sat back down in her seat and took a deep breath, "Well, Lionel was dead. We were able to get him buried at Orchard Farm Cemetery with his own headstone. So he's one of the few known graves in that part of the cemetery. His dying was just so...stupid." She said sadly.

"Did they do anything to the kid who shot him?" Eaton asked.

"There was no one to call. The neighborhood was already becoming notorious for being dangerous. So in a few months, when emergency services were restored, what little police we had left wouldn't go there. The fire department wouldn't respond to calls, nor would EMT's. We were stuck."

"You left before emergency services were restored?" Eaton asked.

"Long before. I...I don't think I would be around today if I didn't." Monique said as she picked up a paper napkin that rested beside her long empty coffee cup.

"So what convinced you to leave?"

Monique let out a deep breath, "There were these shuttle buses that used to run between the various neighborhoods and Smarty Mart. I rode out one day and purchased a fashion magazine." She smiled and looked at Ron, "It was one of the few things they had that wasn't damaged or picked over. I mean in a national crisis, who needs to read about the latest fashions?"

"Did you know I was working there at the time?" Ron asked.

"No, no...I knew you worked there but I didn't see you."

Ron rubbed his chin, "I was probably sleeping on a table in the break room then."

"Well on the way back to Doe Run, I met this girl named Chaka Kahn Jackson."

* * *

Monique and her new friend talked as the little shuttle bus drew closer to the Doe Run neighborhood. Chaka Kahn Jackson, named by her father after the famous 70's disco diva was from Lowerton, graduating from Lowerton High School the year before Monique. She recognized Monique from her job at Club Banana and the two made fast friends due to their similar interests in clothes, music and of course boys. 

"So Dre's a player but I think you would make a good weekend thang for him. Now I think Chantelle might be down with it as long as you don't fuck with Dre' during the week." Chaka proposed.

Monique smirked, "Girl you have got to be kidding. The boy's not smart enough to pull up his pants. Besides spending my entire weekend being called bitch this and bitch that, is not my idea of a relationship."

Chaka frowned, "Girl, I don't know if you've looked around lately. We fucked, we out here in the middle of nowhere, and you know those white folks are going to get their houses rebuilt long before we do. We out here just so they can keep us out of sight and out of mind. You need to find a strong black man if you plan on surviving this."

"I'm not interested in Dre'. I mean if he's such a big man, why don't you apply for the weekend job?" Monique laughed.

"Girl, you worked in that white mall way too long. I got my two men. I'm just trying to help you out. Start dressin' like a proud sister and find you some men." She urged.

The small shuttle bus pulled to a stop in front of the makeshift trailer park. Monique got off first and waited for Chaka to get out, "I don't want to live my life like a rap video. I don't want a half dozen kids with different fathers and I don't want a timeshare man."

Chaka shook her head, "You have got to get your shit straight. This is the way it is, and if you don't get with it…." She let the thought go unfinished.

They walked up the dirt road towards their new homes. Monique decided to change the subject, "I can't wait till they spread gravel. This place is going to be a mud hole when it rains."

Chaka never had a chance to answer as a battered old green four door Oldsmobile 98 pulled in front of them. Four men jumped out. One of the men punched Monique in the side of the head, knocking her to the ground. The other three grabbed Chaka and drug her to the car kicking and screaming.

Monique struggled to her knees. She made eye contact with the girl before she was shoved into the backseat of the car. Pure terror was all she saw in those eyes. The car pulled away spraying dirt and dust at Monique who held her arm in front of her face as the car drove around her and onto state highway 51.

The blow to the head wasn't as bad as it could have been. Monique quickly stood and watched the car disappear into the distance. She then turned and ran back home leaving her fashion magazine lying on the ground.

* * *

"I cried and I shook. That could have been me. I knew right then and there, that I couldn't stay there." Monique said sadly as she wadded up the napkin and straightened it out for the umpteenth time. 

"So what did you do after that?" Eaton asked.

Monique sighed, "Well I looked over the shuttle schedule and found the earliest one heading towards Smarty Mart. I got up early the next day…and I just left."

"Do you know what happened to Chaka Kahn Jackson?"

"Monique shook her head, "No…I'm sure I was the last to see her alive. Here she was telling me how to survive and she's the one that gets snatched off the street in broad daylight."

Ron frowned, "She's probably one of those people who joined the missing list."

Eaton turned his attention to Ron, "So when did your family move into Pheasant Ridge?"

He let out a breath and tried to remember, "I'm not really sure. I worked 4 straight days at Smarty Mart before I was forced to take 12 hours off. I think it was the 3rd or 4th day. Dad showed up and handed me a piece of paper that had the address on it. Stoppables, Pheasant Ridge, H Street, Box 8, was the new address."

"What were your earliest memories of Pheasant Ridge?"

"Oh well, I guess digging a ditch to go potty in. We had electric when I was there but no septic yet or well water. That came later. So I took the shuttle bus home to Pheasant Ridge. I was so tired that I really didn't notice that we had a few pieces of furniture and food for Hana, basic food stuff for the rest of us. The Red Cross really came to the rescue when they found out about Hana." Ron rubbed the back of his neck, "...am I making any sense?"

Monique laughed, "Your doing fine."

Ron pursed his lips, "I was just so tired then. I mean they worked us at Smarty Mart. We had two hour breaks and we'd sleep on tables in the break room. I don't really remember much about first moving in. I don't really remember much about Rufus. I was gone so much he kind of adopted Hana."

He grinned as he thought of his old pal, "Anyway, I got home and dad told me I was just in time. He had a shovel so we walked back towards a tree line that was just behind the mobile home and dug a pit to piss in."

"How did they decide what land to use for the neighborhoods?"

"I think they leased acreage from the farmers in the area...FEMA leased it." Ron answered.

"So when did you and momma hookup?" Myracle asked.

Monique frowned, "Watch it girl..."

"I mean meet up." She quickly corrected herself.

Ron looked at Monique, "I think it was after I came back from the 12 hour leave..."

"It was the day I left, so it was a Sunday." Monique reminded him.

"A little over a week after the attack..." Ron mused.

Monique smiled, "I bought another fashion magazine and went to the snack bar."

Ron laughed, "The snack bar that didn't have any food."

"That's the one." She said with a chuckle.

* * *

The shuttle bus deposited a very tired looking Ron Stoppable outside the front entrance of Smarty Mart. The front windows were still covered in plywood as the glass had been broken out during the riots of the previous weekend. He made his way inside. He glanced towards the snack bar, "_Man, still no food. Hey that looks like Monique."_ He thought as he made his way closer to see if it was her. 

It was Monique. She was sitting in the back of the snack bar with her head buried inside a fashion magazine. Ron walked up and jiggled the magazine. Monique jumped in alarm and then smile as she recognized who it was. She squealed in delight, "Ron!" She jumped up and hugged him tightly.

Ron returned the embrace, "You look great."

"Thank you and your looking...really tired." She said noting the black circles under Ron's eyes.

He nodded, "Non stop around here. Wow, you were able to get new clothes?"

Monique looked around sheepishly and lowered her voice, "Some of the charity clothes aren't too bad." She whispered.

Ron nodded his understanding, "Oh yea, well it was great seeing you. I have to find Mr. Barkin to find out what's going on."

"Okay, I'll see you around then." She said as she watched him walk away, _"After all...I'm not going anywhere."_

Mr. Barkin wasn't wasting time. He came and found Ron, "Stoppable, you're needed in the back..." Then he lowered his voice so no one else could hear him. "We're getting our first trucks in today."

A look of excitement came over Ron as he forgot how tired he was. The first truck to restock the store, food was finally at hand. Ron nodded his understanding and made his way quickly to the back of the store. He pushed the large two way door opened and was surprised to see non other than Martin Smarty standing before him.

The famous retailer grinned as he saw Ron, "I knew nothing could get my star employee down. Great to see you Ron..."

"Yes, sir..." Ron smiled wearily.

Martin Smarty then handed him a fist full of small booklets, "Green is for gas rations, 10 gallons a week, red is for meat, 5 lbs a week and yellow is for bottled water, 5 cases a week."

Ron shoved the booklets in his pocket, "So we have gas again?"

"Tomorrow..." Then Marty placed his arm around Ron and led him off to a more private location. "This is going to be a disaster the likes this country has ever seen Ron. Anything you and your family needs...Put it off to the side. You know what I mean." Marty said with a wink.

"_Stealing?"_ Ron nodded his head, "Yes sir."

"The government hasn't got a clue as to how bad things really are out there. I left Boulder this morning by helicopter. It was burning." Martin Smarty said sadly.

A shiver ran through Ron as he thought of the gas station he saw in flames while he came to work. Then he pictured a city as large as Boulder in flames, "Oh...They were relocating people there."

Martin Smarty shook his head, "Not anymore."

Ron blinked as he tried to take it all in, "Oh..."

"Look Ron, no one else knows how really bad things are. FEMA is using the National Security excuse to ban media access to the areas. I think things are going to get worse before they get better. So whatever you do, you take care of your family first. Understand?" Martin said in a somber voice.

"Yes sir" Ron answered meekly.

Martin then slapped Ron on the back, "Well I'm off to the Smarty Mart in Lowerton to see how badly the store was destroyed. Keep your chin up folks." Martin said to the other employees as he walked out of the dock flanked by his security men.

Barkin walked up beside Ron, "Stoppable, he give you the skinny?"

Ron nodded weakly, "Yea"

"Whatever we need put it aside and take it home later." Barkin whispered.

He nodded his understanding, "Thank God for Martin Smarty." Ron thought as he fought back the tears.

Things were much worse than what was being told to them from the FEMA representatives and the Red Cross. He said things were going to get worse before they got better, _"How much worse could things get?"_ he thought.

The sound of gunfire erupted from just behind the loading dock bays. Mr. Barkin saw Ron's expression, "Don't worry Stoppable, that's just the police driving the beggars away so the trucks can come in."

Soon it was quiet again and a sound Ron thought he'd never be so happy to hear again echoed through the dock. The sound of trucks, 18 wheelers backing into the three bays to be unloaded. He joined in with the rest of the employees as they clapped when the first truck backed into the dock. Ron grinned, _"Food, Pop Pop Porter's mini corndogs, please..."_

He quickly helped undo the latches on the truck to open the door. He and Gary Aubuchon opened the trailer. They both stood and stared in disappointment as the truck contained not food but pallets of Magnavox Flat Panel HDTV's and Panasonic DVD players. Ron let out a deep breath, "Well this is unexpected."

Gary nodded his head, "I was hoping for cookies or something."

"GET THE PALLET JACKS AND UNLOAD THOSE TRUCKS." Barkin bellowed.

Ron and Gary grabbed pallet jacks and began to unload the truck. Barkin walked over to them, "Take them right out into the electronics department."

He pulled a pallet of DVD players through the double reversible doors and was quickly set upon by customers grabbing for the boxes. Ron jumped back as the pallet was stripped clean. As bad as things were, people still wanted to watch TV and movies to help drown out their sorrows.

Twenty-four trucks came in and left empty that day. The only item Ron was actually able to put up on the shelves was soccer balls. Ron chuckled, _"The end of the world is at hand. Who wants to play soccer?"_

Ron made his way towards the front of the store. Hoping against all hope that there would be food in the empty snack bar, there wasn't. Instead he found a grubby man harassing Monique. Ron his temper shortened from the non stop grind he was on yelled at the man, "CAN I HELP YOU?"

He didn't give the unkempt man time to answer as he grabbed him roughly by the collar and threw him out of the snack bar. Ron stood with his hands on his hips watching to see what the man was going to do. He walked away, which was just fine by him. Ron turned to Monique, "You alright?"

Monique nodded but said nothing. She just kept her eyes on the floor.

Ron pulled out a chair and sat next to her, "You back again?"

A soft sad chuckle came from Monique, "I haven't left."

He looked around for a clock, "It must be one or two in the morning."

Monique nodded her head, "I...I'm not going home." She said softly.

Ron looked stunned, "Why not?"

"They put my family in Doe Run..." She said softly.

"Ohhhhhhhhh..." Ron said understanding her reasoning. Then Ron had an idea, "I know this might sound bad, but I might get some time off in a day or two. You can stay with us over in Pheasant Ridge for a while if you want."

"No, I couldn't..." Monique nervously said.

"Come on, staying with us for a while is better than trying to live in an empty store." Ron reminded her.

* * *

"So that is how you came to live with the Stoppable family?" 

Monique continued to play with her napkin, "Yea, two days later when Ron went home. I went home with him."

"So daddy just took you home with him?" Myracle said with a grin.

"I must have read that magazine I bought a hundred times." Monique said absently.

Ron could tell Monique was becoming upset. So he decided to end the interview, "…and that as we say is history."

"I went to live with the Stoppable's and Ron became my pretend secret boyfriend." Monique said in a far away voice.

Myracle tilted her head, "Pretend secret boyfriend?"

Ron leaned back in his chair. He had never heard about this, "Uh…Maybe we should…"

"I never had a real boyfriend in high school because I was so ugly." She said almost sounding like a little girl as she played with her napkin.

"Monique, noooooooo…" Ron said painfully now realizing where she was going.

"So I had pretend boyfriends, boys I had crushes on. Brick Flagg, Josh Mankey…and finally your father, but he was Kim's boyfriend so I couldn't tell anybody." Monique frowned.

Eaton Trendle watched as Monique began to relive a very painful par t of her past, "Why couldn't you tell anyone?"

"Oh, Kim would kill me. So I made believe in my mind that Ron was my boyfriend and when he'd bring me bottled water or something to eat, it was like flowers and candy."

Ron put a hand on her shoulder, "It's getting late, let's call it a day."

Monique pressed on, "I could pretend, I mean after all Kim was never around. Then one day your father brought me home a Smarty Mart outfit. It was the ugliest thing you ever saw. Brown shirt, yellow shorts and it was 2 sizes too big….but it was new. It felt as though I hadn't had new clothes in years. So I went to work and made a nice little outfit out of it."

Myracle made a face, "Smarty Mart still has ugly clothes."

She nodded at her daughter's statement, "Ugly clothes for ugly girls. I remember an elderly man dying of respiratory failure down the street. I imagined Ron and I moving into that mobile home. He would go to work at Smarty Mart and I would keep house. We would use bed sheets as curtains, and have donated furniture. Ron was tight with Martin Smarty and it wouldn't be anytime at all before we could have nice things and he would be a store manager…"

Monique froze as she saw her daughter starting to laugh. This was the most frightening moment of her entire life and she was laughing at her. Her lower lip trembled, "I was just a young girl. I was so scared…I just wanted to feel safe…" She began to sob, "I just wanted to feel safe…"

Myracle quit laughing, realizing that she was upsetting her mother, "I'm sorry momma…"

"I just wanted to feel safe. I didn't know my family was going to die…" Monique sobbed.

Ron stood up, "I think we've had enough for today. Myracle show Mr. Trendle to the door."

Eaton Trendle realized the interview was over for the day stood up, "I'll call about setting up another time to talk later."

Ron waved him away as he took Monique in his arms to comfort her. Myracle led Eaton Trendle from the pool area. He stroked her hair and held her tight, "Shhhhhhhhh, It's all right. We don't have to think about it anymore." He said softly as he began to cry too.

"I'm an old woman Ron, my brothers never had a chance to grow old. Do you know how many times I wished I'd stayed in Doe Run…" Monique sobbed.

"Now that's enough of that. You made the right decision for you and you have a great family who loves you to show for it." Ron said firmly.

Monique chuckled, "I told Chaka that I didn't want a half dozen kids and a time share man. Now I have a half dozen kids with different mothers and a timeshare husband."

Ron bristled, "I have never been a timeshare husband. You and the kids have always been my life."

She smiled, "I know, I know…I was going to be a great fashion designer. I didn't want to be a housewife like my mother…"

"Now you stop this pity fiesta, we've had a great life, we've got great kids, and great grand kids…" Ron reminded her.

Monique smiled, "Your right, God I hate thinking about the old days. I'm going to lie down. I'm exhausted."

Ron let out a breath also feeling wore down by the strain of remembering painful events, "Yea, me too…"

* * *

**A/N: Next Chapter will feature more Ron and Kim. **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry for the length of the chapter. I get to writing and I don't know when to quit sometimes. Many thanks to Whitem, Zartan, Thurston, Atomicfire, Bigherb81, aedan cameron, NMR68, Swordbunny4486, Yankee Bard, Soulman3 for their reviews.** **This chapter leaves some little clues about what went on in the past of our Middleton gang, that will be of some importance in later chapters. I've got plot bunnies about a action adventure series of Kim Possible Global Justice stories based on this AU. Those if I write them will begin after a few more chapters. I've also got a new chapter of Ronnie Diamond completed and I'm still slugging away at a Knights of Zion chapter. I wish I could type faster...lol**

** Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

** Bubba **

* * *

The night had not passed quietly for Ron and Monique. Each had woken with nightmares during the night. Finally they gave up and went downstairs to sit by the pool and watch the sun rise together. Ron pulled his chair up close to her and put his arm around her. Monique snuggled up in the crook of his arm, "We don't do this enough." 

"Mmmmmm, we could do it more often once I retire." He whispered as he noted the fragrance of her perfume.

Monique pulled back for a moment, "Who are you kidding, you'll never retire."

Ron sighed, It was time to come clean with the truth. He had been hiding it from her, and himself for sometime. "I never told you this before but, I think I'm gong to be retired."

"You're kidding?" Monique said nervously.

He nodded, "They only signed my assistant coaches for two years. This is the final year of their contracts."

"So, they'll just sign them again at the end of the season. I mean you've got 4 years left on your contract." Monique reminded him.

"Dan Tovella has been working pretty hard to replace me since we lost the national championship game last year. I think they have the A.D. and the Trustees signed on. They only extended my contract as a show of support. They can always buy me out." Ron explained.

Monique frowned as she thought about Dan Tovella. The man owned several car dealerships around town and was one of Ron's most vocal critics on the sports talk radio and in the papers. Monique hated the man, always smiling and polite to your face and the next thing you know he's on the radio telling anyone that will listen that Ron was too old and had lost touch with the realities of Miami Hurricane football.

The worst part about the man was that he was a wealthy contributor to the school so his opinion counted. So that meant Ron had to tow the University line and be polite to him. He even invited him over to the house a few nights ago when Ron's selection to the hall of fame was announced. If he was working behind the scenes to have Ron removed from the head coach's job, he was going to have to contend with her and she wouldn't hold back on him.

"Well we'll just see about this I'm pretty good friends with Trudy Malloy..."

"Don't involve Trudy, from what Gary has been hinting there's not much anyone can do." Ron told her.

Monique frowned. Trudy Malloy was the wife of Athletic Director Gary Malloy and always had a way of knowing the pulse of the University. The true inside scoop, "She hasn't called me in a while. What if you guys get to the national championship and win?" She said hopefully.

Ron shrugged, "Then I will be asked to retire, if we don't go to the national championship game..." He left the statement hanging.

"It's not fair..." Monique said glumly.

"Barkin always said the buck stops with the coach. He never had to play politics at Middleton though. Guys like Dan Tovella don't realize the amount of work it takes to get in the position to have a shot at the BCS Championship Game?" Ron chuckled.

"What?" Monique said smiling at her husband who was in the throws of laughter.

Ron continued laughing harder, "The poor goober they get to replace me will have to answer to Dan when they lose. He'll be Dan's boy."

Monique lifted an eyebrow at her husband as he continued to laugh, "You did take one hit too many when you played ball."

He smiled and kissed her. Then adopted a befuddled voice, "No Dan, I can't explain why we went into Tallahassee and got our butts kicked by Dr. Ron's Seminole's?"

"So you're not thinking of retiring then?" She said grinning at her husband's enthusiasm.

Ron shrugged, "I've been toying with the idea. Steven called, told me that Coach Timmons is on the hot seat. He thinks they're all going to get fired in December, when the seasons over."

"Steven fired?" Monique suddenly panicked at the thought of her middles son loosing his job. "They just bought a house..."

"Comes with the territory, they'll have to sell the house and move to the next college." Ron reminded her.

"What if they move out of state? I mean what if we don't get to see Andre and Kayla's just a baby, Ronnie's in Wyoming and..."

"Monique, you of all people ought to know how tough being a college coach is. He's a good offensive coordinator. He won't be out of work long." Ron said reassuringly.

"When did you find all this out?" She asked.

"Steve called last night around eight or so. He wanted to talk shop, so we shot the breeze for a few hours."

She frowned, "I never heard the phone ring."

Ron nodded his head, "You were pretty exhausted after talking to Eaton yesterday."

Monique took a deep breath, "Yea, man it's hard reliving all that. You were the only light in the darkness."

"You were for me as well." Ron said as he fixed her with an affectionate gaze.

"You didn't exactly tell Eaton the whole truth though." Monique pointed out.

Ron weighed his answer carefully, "There are things that went on with Kim and me that I don't want public. Things that don't pertain to his mother, plus there's a few things I think I could go to jail for."

Monique laughed, "Ron, statute of limitations ran out on you years ago."

"I don't want to chance it. Too many people in charge of things now, who were around back then. They didn't send near enough people to jail when their little cookie crumbled." Ron answered bitterly.

"You saved a lot of people when you were a smuggler." Monique grinned remembering Ron driving a beat up old 1987 Ford Ranger stuffed to the gills with contraband.

Ron grinned, "Yea, some people smuggled drugs, some people ran liquor. I ran diapers, medicine, food, clothes, water and anything else I could get past the National Guard."

Monique shivered, "Enough of that, what are we going to do today? I don't want to talk to that man for a while."

"I was thinking we could go up to Hollywood and visit Allison and Jorge. I haven't heard from Allison in a while..." Ron mused as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm sure she's fine. Probably just been busy making hats or something." Monique reassured him.

Ron nodded his head, "I still worry. Kim was...hard on her."

Monique sighed, "It's been 12 years. She's got herself together since then."

"I guess it's..." Ron let the thought drop.

"Just because you haven't heard from her doesn't mean she'll try to commit suicide again." Monique said softly.

Ron bristled, "The overdose was accidental..."

"...and the note?" Monique reminded him.

A pained expression crossed Ron's face as he stood up, "Coffee?"

Monique pulled him back into his chair by his arm, "Sit down here and watch the sun come up with me."

* * *

After sunrise Ron went into the living room. He was still tired as he as he lay down for a quick nap on the couch. After a fitful sleep he woke up he lay on the couch drifting between sleep and consciousness. He was worried about Allison. Of all his daughters she was most like him, and the most fragile of all his girls. She could be goofy and a bit on the lazy side at least in school. Ron always let Monique handle the talks about the importance of good grades. He always felt guilty about having to do that when his own high school grades were something short of stellar. 

After she graduated high school she thought it was important to visit her mother. So she decided to spend a few weeks with her in Colorado. Ron was uneasy with the idea, since Kim had shown little or no interest in the girls once she dropped them off with him when they were babies. He however wouldn't stand in the way. After all, they might have hit it off and maybe Kim would learn to get along with Annie as well.

He flew with her to the newly reopened Upperton Airport. He remembered smirking as the plane touched down that it only took them a little over 20 years to reopen it. The Eastern part of Colorado had lost so much population due to the Lowardian attack and the years of population exodus that rebuilding the Upperton Airport just wasn't a priority.

For some reason Ron couldn't understand, why Kim had returned to Colorado. She had a flat in London's fashionable Soho district and an apartment near Global Justice Head Quarters in Geneva Switzerland. Then after she left Global Justice at the mandatory retirement age of 40 she went on to work in the United Nations. So she also had a condominium in Manhattan.

In other words there was no good reason for her to be in Colorado. She had no roots in the state. No friends that Ron knew of other than Bonnie Rockwaller-Senor-McMillan. He didn't think that Bonnie could really be considered much of a friend of Kim's. At the 10 and 25 year class reunions she acted as though she were terrified of here. Like she knew a deep dark secret of Kim's and it was in her best interest to keep that secret...secret.

Why she had returned to Colorado was a mystery to Ron. Her family had moved to Florida. Mr. and Mrs. Possible having retired moved south to be closer to the grandkids. Jim and Tim moved with them, neither of them having married or accomplished much after the fall of their social order.

"Honestly daddy, you didn't have to come along." Allison Possible said as she looked past the gate hoping to see her mother.

Ron still possessing a head of mostly grey hair grinned, "Oh, it's no trouble. I'm just passing through on my way to Laramie to visit friends."

Allison spotted Kim first and waved excitedly. Ron held up a hand nervously as he approached his old friend. She still looked good for a woman in her late 40's. Ron knew she'd been dying her hair for a while. Red heads, like blondes had a tendency to lose their hair color early. Still she was still a looker.

Allison hugged her mother tightly, "Hi mom..."

Kim returned the hug, less then enthusiastically. She placed her hands on both of Allison's arms and pulled her away after a quick hug. She frowned at her, "You're not in very good shape. We'll fix that while your here."

The brown haired girl laughed nervously, "Annie...says Hi..."

The red headed woman smirked, "She probably followed Hi with bitch, right?"

Allison looked at the ground, "Well...no..."

Ron frowned when he saw that she was still comporting herself as if she were still in Global Justice. Back straight, shoulders back, eyes level, ready for whatever evil might be coming her way.

"Hey Kim..."

Kim nodded towards Ron, "Hey Ron, I see Monique's still fattening you up for the kill. Maybe you should stay for the next couple of weeks and we can get that tire off your belly."

Ron winced at Kim's observation. One of Kim's less appealing personality traits from her Global Justice days was her knack for direct, blunt, speech. Ron hated it, hated Europe, hated Global Justice and how it twisted his old friend. It had come to the point where Kim had forgotten how to talk to ordinary people. So when she did speak, it was usually to bark out commands or to get her point across.

"Nice seeing you too Kim, you look good." Ron said hoping to change the subject..

She nodded her head as if to agree with Ron's statement, "You'd look this good too if you got up at dawn and ran 6 miles before breakfast. What do you do when you get up in the morning?"

Ron sighed and decided it was time to bust Kim's chops a little bit, "Well, sometimes Monique's in the mood, so I get about a half hour of cardiovascular activity with her. Some mornings I just have a bagel, and a cup of coffee before heading into the practice facility."

The mention of Monique drew a smirk from Kim, "I see...Well, let's get your bags Allison and then we can bond or...something."

Allison turned to her father. He could barely see a trace of fear in her eyes. Ron fought to hold himself back. Not to let her go with Kim, but he didn't. It would be a decision he would regret until the day he passed from this earth.

* * *

Monique frowned as they took the exit off of I-95 to get to the Pena residence so they could visit Ron's daughter Allison. She figured she was as much her daughter as she was Kim's after all she did raise them, while Kim was out doing her save the world thing. 

"I don't see why I always have to drive?" She grumbled.

Ron grinned, "Because you're so good at it."

She knew the answer. Ron was too distracted and didn't want to get into a car accident. "It's Orange Park right?"

Ron nodded his head as he watched the houses in the subdivision go by.

Allison had met her husband when she was going to a local technical school after graduating from high school to be a nurse's aide. After Allison received her nurse's aid certificate, she worked as a nurse's aid in a nursing home for a few months before deciding it wasn't for her, and to marry Jorge after the two had dated for several months.

Jorge was in the automotive technology classes. He was a third generation Cuban American, who Ron liked a lot. He was smart, good looking, not a big man, but he had the dark Latin good looks that if he knew how to put them to use. He could have been quite the ladies man. Jorge however was a bit shy and introvert. He enjoyed Allison's bubbly good nature and outgoing personality. After tech school he got a good job with Dade County Transit when he received his certifications. A diesel bus mechanic by trade, he preferred to have his career referred to diesel automotive specialist. It sounded better than mechanic.

Ron genuinely liked Jorge. He knew Jorge could sense Allison was a bit on the fragile side and treated her like a queen. Jorge liked her goofy jokes and strange mannerisms He also encouraged her to pursue her hat business as it always made her so happy to design clothes. Ron knew she picked up the fashion bug from being raised by Monique.

The two bought a house and settled close to his family in West Hollywood, Florida. Then Jorge and Allison married shortly afterwards, with his blessing. Kim on the other hand had been another story.

An enraged Kim Possible flew in from New York to stop the wedding. Ron had to meet her at the airport and turn her around for New York. She was not going to interfere with Allison's big day, not when he hadn't seen her so happy since before her suicide attempt a few years earlier.

When Kim arrived she screamed at Ron for allowing the girls to marry beneath their stations. She then demanded to know the church that they were going to be married in so she could talk some sense into the girl.

So Ron lied and told her they were already married and on a cruise, she was too late. This is not what Kim wanted to hear. She fumed and stewed as she tried to get an earlier flight back to New York.

The next flight wouldn't leave for two hours. So for amusement, Kim decided to berate Ron for the poor job that he and Monique had done of raising the girls. Ron kept his mouth shut for the long two hour lecture. He only interrupted her long rants when she would become overly hateful towards the girls or Monique.

When the two hour wait was over for the flight back to New York, Ron decided to give Kim his thoughts on the whole situation. Ron told her that both Annie and Allison were happy with the men they chose and that should be enough to please her and if it wasn't then she could as far as he was concerned take that plane ride straight to hell. He wanted nothing more to do with her.

He wondered later if his little statement made an impact on Kim. She showed no visible outward emotion. Either way, he kept her from ruining Allison's big day, even if it meant he couldn't be there for the wedding either. He would watch the wedding later on DVD after he attended the reception and had a much needed cocktail.

Kim hadn't spoken to either Allison or Annie since that day. As far as Ron's relationship with Kim, that had become decidedly cool. This both troubled Ron and filled him with relief. Annie hated her mother. Allison was still very frightened of her, and both girls in his opinion were better off with Kim out of the picture. Ron was just happy because life without visits from Kim was far, far safer for his family and far, far less stressful for him.

Ron shook his head to clear the memories as he and Monique entered Allison's subdivision,_"There are times I wish I would have just slapped Kim silly, when it came to those girls."_

After Allison and Jorge married, it took a few years before the children came, a boy Jorge, Jr. who was 5 and a girl Emily who had just turned two. They were cuties, who Ron wished he could see more often.

Unfortunately, it was like Annie had always said. If it didn't concern Allison or her family, Allison was happy enough to be left alone. And alone Ron would leave her for as long as his conscious would allow him.

Monique pulled into the driveway and smiled when she saw two cars under the carport, "They're both home."

The modest three bedroom house was designed like many of the houses in South Florida, Spanish influences, red tile roof, and long front porch with plants hanging from hooks. Three large bushes lined the front of the house beside the porch. The siding of the house siding was a pale orange, a color that was fashionable nearly a hundred years earlier when the house was originally built.

Ron lost his smile, when he spotted a new addition to the house. A family of garden gnomes now rested in front of the porch, "I swear, I think they follow me around."

Monique didn't understand what Ron was talking about until she spotted the gnomes, "Oh, they're so cute…"

"Just don't make eye contact with them and you're alright." Ron grumbled as she opened the door to their light blue fuel cell Toyota.

"Oh don't be silly…" Monique scolded as they stepped onto the porch.

The front door opened and a smiling Allison greeted them, "Hi Daddy, Hi Monique."

Ron hugged his daughter tightly, "Hey honey…"

He let her go so the brown haired girl could hug Monique. She hugged Monique, "What brings you guys out today?"

"Well, Monique hadn't heard from you in a while so we thought we'd see how you were doing." Ron said quickly.

Allison laughed him off, "Oh, I've just been so busy. We've got big news."

Monique grinned, "You're finally an Ebay power seller?"

"No, silly…Jorge and I are expecting again!" She said excitedly.

"You go girl, another baby." Monique said in delight.

Ron's smile was frozen on his face, "That makes how many grandkids now?"

"15, dear…" Monique reminded him.

"So where's Jorge hiding?" Ron asked.

Allison rolled her eyes, "He's out back in the shed trying to get the lawnmower to work."

Ron chuckled, "He can fix a bus but a lawnmower is a tough case, eh."

"Why don't you see if you can help?" Monique suggested.

"Mmmmmmmmm, trying to get me out of the way, OK, point me to the shed." Ron said amusedly.

Allison waved them inside, "I had the kitchen redone."

"Ron, we need to redo our kitchen." Monique quickly sprang upon Ron for something she'd thought about doing for a few years.

"Ahhhhhhhh, we need to sell the place and get something smaller." Ron griped.

Monique grinned, "All the more reason to do it. A new kitchen would only bring a higher sale price."

He sighed. It was pointless to argue with Monique. She would get her new kitchen and she knew it. He didn't really have much of a choice. If Monique wanted it, she got it. It was that simple. He'd just have to get used to all the construction and learning how to work new appliances.

"Is Emily taking a nap?" Ron asked noticing the lack of a little girl screaming Pa Pa as he entered the house.

"I just laid her down for a nap. Like the new cabinets?" Allison asked as she showed off her new kitchen.

"Ohhhhhhhhhh, Teak wood, I want teak wood cabinets, Ron." Monique said enviously as she examined the ornate hinge assemblies.

Ron shook his head in weary resignation as he watched Monique look over the new kitchen, "The kitchen looks great. Now point me to the shed, I'm afraid to ask how much this put you guys back." He said as he thought of the huge bill he was going to have to pay for his new kitchen.

Allison pointed Ron to the backdoor. The backyard was truly beautiful in Ron's opinion. They my not of had a swimming pool but the oversized yard did sport 4 old cypress trees that gave the back of the house plenty of shade. The wrought iron patio furniture and gas grill just off the concrete patio made the whole atmosphere very inviting.

Ron spotted his son in law and his grandson tinkering with a lawn mower. He couldn't help but notice how much the boy took after his father, his black hair and dark complexion owed to his Hispanic father. The grandson did have his mother's big round brown eyes, eyes that his daughter had inherited from him.

"Let me guess, if it's not diesel you can't fix it." Ron teased the elder Jorge.

"Pa paaaaaaaa, Jorgie called out excitedly as the little boy ran towards Ron.

Ron picked the dark haired boy up, "Ohhhhh, you weigh a ton. You're almost football playing weight." The boy giggled and laughed as Ron turned him upside down, "You're going to play football for me, right?"

"Hi dad..." Jorge said grinning as Ron still held his son upside down.

"Hey Jorge, I'll be with you just as soon as I get me a verbal commitment. You're going to play football for me right?" Ron said teasingly.

"Yes, yes..." The boy laughed as Ron turned him back over and sat him on his feet.

"So what seems to be the trouble with the mower?" Ron asked as he stuck out his hand to shake Jorge's.

Jorge held up his dirty hands to ward off the handshake, "Needs a new sparkplug and some fresh gas."

Ron understood as he sat down in a lawn chair, "So I hear congratulations are in order?"

"For what, the baby or the kitchen?" Jorge joked.

He laughed, "Well you already have two kids so I guess it's about those teak wood cabinets."

"Thanks, now if I could just talk Allie into moving to a bigger house..." Jorge said as rolled his eyes, at how stubborn his wife was about remaining in the house.

Ron nodded as he pulled his grandson into his lap, "She'll come around once it starts getting crowded in this one. I have the opposite problem. I want to sell ours and go smaller but Monique won't hear of it."

Jorge lifted an eyebrow, "Your place isn't a house, it's a mansion."

He nodded his head and sighed, "I bought that mansion when I signed with the Dolphin's back in 12. It was worth a paltry 12.5 million dollars then. It was way too much house for me back then, but I had to show off. Had to keep up with the other players, 12 bedrooms, 4 ½ baths, 32,000 square feet, 1,200 square foot guest house and a pool cabana, exorbitant property tax bill..."

"Great, sell your place, buy ours and your problems are over." Jorge said grinning.

"Well now that you have those teak wood cabinets..." Ron teased.

Jorge shook his head, "I'm serious; I found a 5 bedroom place just over in Hollywood Heights for just under 2 mill. If I can get $800,000 for this place..."

Ron stopped bouncing Jorgie on his knee, "You're doing that well working for Dade County?"

"I'm 2nd shift supervisor now, plus their sending me back to school to work on these new fuel cell buses that are coming along. Plus the money that Allie brings in from those hats...we're not doing too badly." Jorge told him proudly.

Ron nodded his head as he realized they hadn't stopped by for money in a few years, "Jorgie run inside and ask your mother to tell Monique where she got those great cabinets."

"OK, I'll be right back. So don't you go anywhere?" The boy said as he slid off of Ron's lap.

Once the boy was inside he turned to Jorge to ask what he really wanted to know, "How's Allison been feeling?" Ron asked nervously.

Jorge shrugged, "She's doing fine. The Zanex does its job. She's never had depression near as bad as when she was living at home."

Ron let out a deep breath, "Well that's good. I just get a little nervous when I don't hear from her in a while."

"She's fine, always going a mile a minute on some project. Always has me doing something around the house till I go into work at 3:00." Jorge told him.

"I...I just want to know. You know how it is? You have kids and then if you come close to losing one it just tears you up inside. So...I tend to worry about her a bit more then the other kids." Ron explained sadly.

Jorge nodded his head, "I hear ya..." He said as he decided to turn the conversation to something more pleasant, "Oh, congratulations back at you, on going into the hall of fame. You started working on that acceptance speech?"

Ron chuckled, "No, I have half a mind to tell them to go to hell for making me wait so long. I'll start working on it after the seasons over."

"So you're in how many hall of fame's now?" Jorge asked as he took off the gas tank to the lawnmower and poured the bad gas into a cup.

He lifted his eyes to the sky as he thought, "Phhewwwwww, let's see...Colorado High School Sports Hall of Fame, Wyoming Sports Hall of Fame, NCAA College Football Hall of Fame, as both player and coach, NCAA Hall of Champions, as both player and coach, Florida Sports Hall of Fame as a player and a coach, and who could forget the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame as both player and coach."

Ron ticked the number off on his fingers. Then he turned his attention back to Jorge, "Man, I've given a lot of speeches. Maybe I'll just reuse one of my old speeches."

Jorge laughed as Ron's cell phone rang, "I'll be just a moment." He said as he answered the phone. "Hello"

"_Hello Coach, this is Eaton Trendle. I was wondering if you could meet with me again this evening. Say around 6:00 or so?" _

Ron licked his lips, "I...I don't know Eaton. You pretty much took it out of Monique and me yesterday..."

"_If you start getting tired or stressed out, you can end the interview at any time. I'd just really like to get as much information as I can about how it was back then."_

"I guess it would be alright. I'll have to ask... Hey how did you get my cell phone number?" Ron asked suddenly feeling alarmed the just anyone could find his number.

"_Oh, Myracle gave it to me, when I dropped by earlier. I had to go around back because she couldn't hear the door bell with the music turned up as loud as it was." _

Ron's blood froze, "She was alone I hope?"

"_Yea, she was alone, if you don't count all the boys that were there with her."_

"BOYS..." Ron said in a panic.

He could hear Eaton laughing on the other end of the phone, _"Just kidding, she was alone. So six o'clock tonight will be fine then?"_

"Don't do that too me. You about made me have a stroke." Ron said angrily. Then he calmed down, "OK, six o'clock then." He said as he ended the call.

Ron waved the phone at Jorge and explained, "A guy who's the son of one high school friends is writing a book about what went on in Colorado back in the day."

Jorge nodded his head, "There was a show on the History Channel a few months back. You folks out there had it rough. I still can't get over all the corruption..."

"Yea, they didn't put enough of those land thieves in jail. My folks lost everything and had to start over again." Ron said as he watched Jorgie running towards him from inside the house.

The boy jumped back into Ron's lap. He made a show of grunting and moaning from the impact as the little boy giggled, "Ohhhhhhhh, Pa pa didn't see that one coming."

"Grandma Monique wants you to come inside so she can convince you." The boy said as he continued to giggle.

Ron lifted an eyebrow as a thought crossed his mind, _"First time I've ever heard Allison or Annie's kids call her Grandma Monique..."_ He turned his attention to the elder Jorge and grinned, "I have to go inside and see how big of a check I'm going to be cutting for a new kitchen."

Jorge laughed, "Hopefully it won't be too big. My uncle Ramon did most of the work for us."

This made Ron feel a little better as he took the long walk to the kitchen. Maybe, he thought, just maybe this won't end up costing me a small fortune. He walked into the kitchen and smirked as he was greeted by two smiling ladies. Ron shook his head, "How much?"

Monique smiled and excitedly explained, "No, no, no, I have to convince you first."

Ron slouched, he already knew the outcome but with Monique the formalities had to be observed. "Oh man...OK, convince me."

She smiled, "Ron we need a new kitchen."

"OK"

"No, no, no let me finish first." Monique said happily as she bounced up and down on the balls of her feet.

Almost 60 years old and she still acted like a big kid when she wanted something. Ron never tired of her enthusiasm for shopping. He'd put on a good face of cringing and moaning but at the end of the day Monique would always get what she wanted. After having to endure a bleak life in a post Lawardian Middleton, seeing Monique happy and excited, always made Ron happy.

"So finish, who's stopping you?" Ron said affecting his best Jewish dialect.

"If we redo the kitchen, it will increase the asking price of the house. Should we ever decide to sell it...in 15 or 20 years...that is..." Monique paused for a moment before getting to the meat of her argument, "I want a new kitchen."

It was show time as Ron threw up his hands, "You want? You want? Why isn't it ever what I want?"

With a slightly annoyed look on Monique's face, she crossed her arms.

"And just what do you want?"

A veteran of a long and happy marriage Ron recognized the expression on her face, and immediately knew the answer to guarantee domestic tranquility, "What ever you want...dear."

Monique turned and smiled at Allison, "Told you I'd get a new kitchen. He thought he was going to put his foot down with me."

Ron raised a hand, "Aghhhhhhhhh"

Allison chuckled and then her eyes opened wide as she realized she had forgotten something, "Oh, congratulations daddy on that hall of fame thingie..."

Ron laughed, "Thank you honey. Now are you coming to Canton, Ohio to see me give my speech?"

She smiled weakly, "I don't know...I mean...I'll be really pregnant and...Is momma going to be there?"

"I doubt it..." Ron said frowning slightly at the question.

"Well, we might make it then." She said absently.

Monique forced a grin as she decided to steer the conversation away from Kim, "Is that Emily I hear?"

Ron's eyes lit up, "I think it is." He said as he could hear a small voice making noises from the little girl's bedroom.

Allison nodded, "She's up and she's in the throws of the terrible twos."

Monique laughed, "I remember having 3 kids going through that at the same time. Now that was hell."

The memory made Ron laugh, "Allison, Annie and Ron Jr. All of them saying, "NO" and "WHY" at the same time. Poor Cheyanne was 6 and didn't have a clue what was going on."

"Oh, I remember it well. Raising 4 kids and three of them weren't even mine." She said with a laugh.

Ron grinned as he followed her back to Emily's bedroom, "You carried it off well though."

Monique turned to him and grinned, "I'd never do it again."

They followed Allison into Emily's room. Ron grinned as he stood behind Monique and embraced her and quietly whispered in her ear, "Oh yes you would."

She giggled and playfully tried to swat Ron's face, "Yea, I probably would."

Allison picked her daughter up and turned to hand the little girl to Ron but Monique stepped in front of him, "Oh ain't she precious. Children are God's gift..."

Ron chuckled, "Picked off..."

Monique looked at Ron strangely and then realized what he meant, "You get her, when I'm done dotting on her."

"Awwwwwww, man..." Ron pointed to Allison, "You see how she treats me?"

"Who's your granny?" Monique said playfully.

"Now she's going for that 15 yard taunting penalty." Allison said playfully.

Ron grinned and shook his head. It was odd to hear football expressions coming from his girls, but being raised around the sport they came by it naturally.

"Monique's been taunting me since we were 18."

He waited for Monique to finish cooing over the girl. Monique enjoyed playing with the grandkids. This made Ron happy as he always enjoyed playing the grumpy, grouchy grandpa.

Monique handed the girl to Ron, "That's not true. I only seriously started taunting you when we began seriously dating when we were 26."

Ron took the little girl from her, "So it's only been 33 years then..." Ron kissed the girl on the side of the face as she squirmed in arms giggling.

"I got good at it, didn't I?" Monique teased.

"Too good...Oh you've gotten so big." Ron said happily as he bounced the girl in his arms.

They made small talk for the rest of their visit. Ron told Allison of Annie's new job. She had already known, but listened as Ron told her of the graphic design job she landed with a company called Microsymantics.

He left out the part that the company was started by his best friend from high school Felix Renton. He hated calling on Felix for a favor but Annie was between jobs and getting frustrated. Robert her husband made good money, so she could have opted to stay home and take care of the children as Allison did. Annie however liked having her own money and sense of independence a job gave her.

"She told me all about it. She's going to be helping design all of their print literature." Allison told him.

"So it looks like I'm baby sitting again." Monique said happily.

Ron glanced up at the clock on the wall in the kitchen. It was nearing 2:30, "We better be leaving. Monique doesn't like driving in rush hour traffic."

Monique frowned at him, "I guess that means I'm driving back home."

He stood as a smile crossed his face, "You are so good at driving."

She shook her head as she looked at Allison, "I was partnered with him once for a science project in high school. He made me do all the work."

Allison giggled, "Daddy wasn't much of a help then."

Monique eyed her husband as he made himself busy so as not to have to answer to her charges, "When is he ever much help?"

Jorgie blocked the front door to block their way out. Ron eyed the boy and then scooped him up and over his shoulder, rendering a good imitation of a TV sports broadcaster he said as he walked out the front door, "Stoppable hits the line and carries Pena into the end zone for the touchdown."

The boy kicked and giggled, "No way, bad call..."

Ron sat him back down on the ground, and patted the boy on the head, "Next time lower the shoulder and push me back into the living room." He teased the boy.

Monique leaned down and tried to hug the struggling boy, "Don't let him push you around. Now give Granny Monique a hug."

"Ewwwwww, mom..." Jorgie struggled against a determined grandmother.

"Give Pa Pa a kiss." Ron said as he leaned in and gave the girl a kiss as her mother held her. He then hugged his daughter tightly, "You call us every now and then or you'll get Monique worried again."

"Daddy, I'm fine...You don't have to worry about me anymore." She told him as she hugged Monique.

Ron pursed his lips, "I try not to...It's just...hard."

Monique took Ron by the arm, "Tell Jorge goodbye for us."

Allison nodded her head, "It was good seeing both of you."

"Drop by sometime if you guys are in the neighborhood." Ron said as Monique pulled him closer to their Toyota.

"Get in the car..." Monique said with a forced grin.

Ron turned and waved goodbye to his daughter and her family once again as he climbed into the car. Monique turned to wave as well. She sat in the driver's seat and turned to Ron as she started the car, "She's fine, now do you feel better?"

In a very relieved voice Ron said, "Yea..." as he sank into the seat and buckled his seatbelt.

Monique glanced over at him, "I hate driving in rush hour traffic."

Ron was a million miles away mulling over his own thoughts, _"I wish Kim would quit being such a hard ass and learn to accept these girls. Not everyone can be crime fighting super heroes."_

* * *

The plane from Upperton International Airport was late on arriving. The flight was held up in Memphis to repair an engine that had nearly fallen off in flight. Before continuing on its journey to Miami International, Ron sat patiently waiting for his daughter to arrive near the gate the plane was to arrive at. 

He talked on his cell phone nearly nonstop to his assistant coaches and university officials. The Miami Hurricane's had just won their second BCS National Championship under Coach Ron Stoppable, and he was busy trying to capitalize on the win to give the team momentum into the next season. The more the Hurricane's won the more work and pressure was put on Ron to keep the team and the program at the forefront of college football.

"All right Bob, I'll look at your ideas for changes for the defense for next season. I can tell you right now though. I'm not wild about change. You have so many zone packages. I prefer a more attack oriented defense. You know, get the quarterback and harass the shit out of him before he can throw."

"_Ron, I'm telling you now. You have to be more flexible about going with more than just a nickel package for passing situations. I mean, if we would have had better execution from our offense we might have beat you guys back in August."_

Bob Stanhouse, was the new defensive coordinator for the Hurricane's. He was replacing Stan Brightball, who was the defensive coordinator from the time Ron took over the program nearly eight years earlier.

Stan Brightball had left to take a head coaching vacancy at Central Florida. Ron wished his friend well in his new job. He interviewed a few candidates for the position before settling in on Bob Stanhouse who was the defensive coordinator at Marshall University.

For a small Division 1 A school, that was part of Conference USA. Marshall could upset much larger Division 1 teams with alarming regularity. They ran a complex defense that featured a lot of different looks and secondary packages that they would trot out onto the field depending on the situation. This made them a tough to team to figure out, and having a tough team to figure out would almost always keep them competitive in any game they played.

Ron's Cane's played them the opening game of the season. While the finale score was 31-13, a win for the team. The part that was overlooked by fans a media alike was the Thundering Herd's ability to shut down Ron's high powered spread offense for nearly three quarters before he could figure out a way to wear them down. Now that he had lured their defensive coordinator to his school. He hoped to bring that same kind of confusion to the ACC and keep the team on top for the next few years.

"That's true Bob, but..."

"_Ron our offense had your old 46 defense spread so thin, you guys didn't know if we coming or going. Then our multiple look defense had you guys on your heels on the other side of the ball."_

Ron leaned his head back and closed his eyes and thought, _"Shut up and let this man do his job."_

"Look Bob, you do whatever it is you feel you need to do to be successful here."

"_You're the boss Ron, I won't let you down."_

"We're expecting big things from you Bob." Ron said as he ended the call.

It was nearly 10:30 at night now. Ron looked down at his watch, "Where the hell is that plane." He muttered under his breath impatiently.

The cell phone rang again. He looked at the Caller ID, "Ahhhh, Dean Montrez." He muttered before answering the call.

"Dean, I was just thinking about you..." Ron lied.

Dean Montrez was the Athletic Director for the University of Miami and Ron's current boss. Ron had made several proposals after the second championship game that he felt was necessary to keep the Miami University football program ahead of the competition in the tough Atlantic Coast Conference.

"_Ron, I just ran the proposals you made past the trustees and directors. They were good with everything except for the new lighting at the practice facility." _

Ron grinned evilly. He didn't really need the new lighting. The item was just an extravagant to request in order for the University Trustees to give him what he was really after.

"So I get the additional $250,000 for bonuses for the assistant coaches, 8 graduate assistants. I can hire a Director of Recruiting, the kids on scholarship can sell their textbooks at the end of the semester and the $5.00 ticket price for visiting high school head coaches is waved right?"

"_That about sums it up. They would also like to talk about extending your contract another two years. We can't afford to have our National Championship coach jumping to the NFL, can we?"_

Giggling insanely, Ron put a hand over his heart, "You are a true friend Dean. I also, being a true friend would not insult the University of Miami by refusing to not take your money."

Laughter came from the other end of the phone, _"Somehow having you insult us like that never entered my mind."_

Ron turned more serious, "Hey, thanks for call Dean, I mean it."

"_Not a problem, you take care Ron."_

He ended the call and let out a deep breath. He glanced at the incoming flights monitor. Southwest Airlines flight 432 was arriving. Ron rubbed a hand over his chest and thought, _"About time, damn heart burn is killing."_

For the last six years Ron had pushed himself almost nonstop to build the kind of college football team he wanted in Miami. Long days, were often followed by long nights, poor diet and little sleep. He knew he wasn't in the best shape he could be in for a man of his age, not to mention a man of his age that was a former NFL star running back.

He glanced at the monitor again. The writing was blurry on the screen. Ron rubbed his eyes to try and clear them up, _"Working too much in front of that computer."_

A time was he could eat anything he pleased and his boyish metabolism would burn it off. Now whatever he consumed appeared to go straight to the paunch that was hanging over his belt, _"Kim and Monique are right I need to start eating better. Damn Bueno Nacho is burning a hole through my stomach."_ He thought sadly as he made his way to meet his daughter.

He didn't have to wait long as passengers began to spill onto the concourse. Ron spotted Allison immediately as she shuffled aimlessly towards him. She kept her eyes cast towards her feet as he called to her.

"Allison, over here…"

The girl made her way towards him slowly. She looked a bit thinner. Maybe Kim had her out doing road work every morning he thought idly as he hugged the girl. The hug she returned was not near as enthusiastic as he had expected. When he broke the hug he looked at her and asked. "Have a good time?"

She never met his gaze as she shrugged her shoulders and said nothing.

Ron nodded his head. He was sure she was just suffering jet lag. After all she had been on the plane for nearly 10 hours. He knew Southwest only fed their passengers peanuts so he thought she might be hungry, "Stop off at the Bueno Nacho, after we get your bags?"

Allison still didn't say anything. She just stared at the ground and shook her head.

"You feeling alright?" Ron asked nervously.

This time the girl nodded her head.

"You and your mother get along alright?" He asked as he tried to coax a response out of her.

She shrugged.

He took her by the arm, the two walked to the baggage carousel. He tried to look at her in the eyes. A frown worked its way across Ron's face as he thought,_"She's just tired from the flight. We get her bags, get home, get some rest, she'll be her old self tomorrow."_

Unfortunately Allison didn't return to her old self in the morning. She withdrew to her room, would barely communicate with anyone including her twin sister Anne. Ron continued to believe that she was just tired. The kids and Monique however knew something was wrong.

It had been nearly three days before Ron, Jr. caught his father heading out to work at the University. "Dad you might want to talk to Allison or something. I think something is bothering her but she won't talk to us."

"She's just worn out from the trip. It's about time for you to make your trip, isn't it?" Ron said with a grin as he put his arm around his son.

The boy smiled proudly. It was nearly time for him to report to Laramie, Wyoming to go through orientation and begin his college football career with the University of Wyoming Cowboys. Ron, Jr. having been offered a full ride football scholarship was more then ready to leave to follow in his father's footsteps.

"Middle of July is coming up." He said eagerly, before pausing. "You really need to talk to Allison."

Ron paused and looked back to the large mansion he called home and said softly. "Let me talk to your mother first. It might be one of those girl things that I know nothing about."

The kitchen seemed at the moment miles away as Ron walked up the steps to the entrance of the house. He could hear Lionel and Myracle fighting from the family room. Ron snapped his fingers at his youngest son Lionel and told him to leave Myracle alone the girl was trying to watch the morning Flippies reruns and had started to cry as Lionel flipped the channel on the TV to keep interrupting his baby sister's favorite show.

Annie came running down the stairs, "Daddy, can you talk to Allison? She's…"

"Watch Lionel and Myracle, so I can talk to your…Monique." Ron told her firmly.

She recognized the look on her father's face. She could see he was worried as he walked into the kitchen, _"What the hell did mom do now?"_ She thought angrily as she walked into the family room.

Monique was putting the morning breakfast dishes into the dishwasher as Ron stomped into the kitchen. She looked up at him, "Allison?"

He let out a deep breath, "Allison…" He said sadly.

"Something's bothering her. She's not eating and when she does…I heard her trying to purge in the bathroom last night after dinner." She told him as she closed the door to the dishwasher.

Ron shook his head, failing to recognize the term. "Purge?"

Monique frowned, "Force herself to throw up."

"Why?" Ron said, still at a loss to understand what Monique was telling him.

"She thinks she's too fat. I…I used to do it when I was in high school. I...I thought the reason I didn't have any boyfriends was because I was too fat, ugly and didn't look like the models at Club Banana." Monique explained.

"Well that's ridiculous. I mean she's lanky if anything and she's had a lot of boyfriends." Ron said incredulously.

Monique chuckled, "Had a lot of boyfriends. There was a certain over protective coach and over reactive father that kept chasing them away."

"They were punks…" He said defensively.

"They were boys, Ron…" Monique reminded him.

Ron put his hands on his hips, "Maybe…I ran a few off..."

"Uh huh…" Monique said as she lifted an eyebrow. Then she shook the look off, "What I'd like to know is why she thinks she's fat?"

The memory of Kim picking Allison up at the airport flashed into his mind, "Kim…Kim, she got after both of us for being heavy and out of shape at the airport." Ron told her as he cringed at the memory.

Monique nodded, "That's what I was thinking but I wanted you to say it first."

"Me, say it first?" Ron said making it obvious he was more than a little confused.

"Ron, when it comes to holding Kim's accountable for anything you always turn a blind eye." Monique told him bitterly.

"That's not true..." Ron protested.

Monique stomped her foot on the kitchen floor and lowered her voice so the kids in the other room wouldn't hear her, "That woman, I said woman, not girl, dropped those kids off when they were babies and took off. TOOK OFF, RON…" She shouted before catching herself.

Ron rolled his eyes. He had heard this argument so many times in the past that it was starting to sound like a broken record to him. He held up his hands to slow Monique down, "This is not about 18 years ago…"

"No it never is, is it?" She shot back.

Finally Ron threw up his hands, "What am I supposed to do? Refuse to take in my own kids?"

"I haven't got a problem with raising those girls but you should have chewed her ass out." Monique said as her face started to flush red from anger.

"I'm not going to chew her out. Those girls are exactly where I want them. HERE, not in Europe, HERE. You think I wanted her trying to raise those girls around those Global Justice freaks." Ron shot back bitterly.

Monique placed her hands on her hips, "This is something we're never going to agree on."

Ron nodded his head, "So what are you going to say to her?"

The eruption of sound from Monique made Ron jump, "OH HELL NO, SHE'S YOUR DAUGHTER. YOU TALK TO HER."

He recognized defeat when he saw it. Ron quickly held up his hands and backed out of the kitchen, "I'll talk to her, I'll talk to her."

Ron left the kitchen mumbling under his breath, "Mean old shrew…"

"WHAT?"

"Nothing, love you…" Ron said loudly as he walked quickly for the stairs.

The stairs looked twice as tall. Ron hated having to have serious conversations with his kids. Monique was so much better at it then he was. He thought as he walked down the hall to Allison's door and knocked.

"Allison, its daddy…." He said as he tried hard to not sound nervous.

There was no answer, so Ron knocked again. "Allison?"

A voice from down the hall called out, "My room's down here…"

A pained expression was on Ron's face as he felt like an idiot. He was so nervous about talking to her that he forgot what room was hers. He walked down to her door and knocked, "Allison…"

"Come in Daddy…" The girl on the other side of the door said sadly.

Ron entered the room. Allison sat on a chair in front of her mirror, "Hey honey, Mo…Monique sent me up to talk to you…She's kind of worried. You seem to be…" He hated having these talks with the kids. He was never sure of the right things to say, "…out of sorts, since you got back from…Colorado."

Allison shrugged.

A silent scream sounded in his head. _"A shrug, how does one read a shrug?"_ He thought angrily. Ron felt like he was fishing in unfamiliar waters and he didn't like the way it was starting. So he decided to try a different tact. "You have a good time in Colorado?"

The girl shrugged again.

Ron smirked, "What's this mean?" He shrugged in the same manner as the girl had. "Is that a yes, I had fun? No, I didn't have fun..."

"It was alright…" The girl finally said.

"Ah, it was an alright visit. So what did you and your mother do while you were out there?" Ron asked trying to get a conversation moving along.

"Stuff"

"AUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH, Allison…talk to me…" Ron said in frustration.

"Daddy…" Allison said desperately.

A sudden thought jumped into Ron's head. Maybe the two had hit it off and she didn't want to come home. Ron sat down on the edge of the girl's bed, "Let me guess. You had a great time and didn't want to come back. If you want to go back to Colorado to be with…"

A look of horror came over Allison, "NO"

Ron nodded his head, "So…you didn't have a good time then."

"No"

Now he was getting somewhere, "So what did you two do for two weeks that wasn't fun?"

Her gaze firmly fixed on the floor. Allison reached up with right hand and began to nervously play with her hair. "We...we exercised a lot. Since I was so fat and out of shape."

"You are not fat…" Ron reassured the girl.

"Mom tried to teach me some martial arts but…I wasn't very good. She said it was because I took after you. She said you were pretty much useless in a fight." She continued as if Ron hadn't spoken.

Ron raised an eyebrow,_"Always nice to be remembered."_

"Well I was a lover, not a fighter."

Allison began to cry, "I only lasted three days, then I just couldn't run anymore."

"Well…3 days, well what else did you do for the rest of the two weeks?" Ron asked now that he was understandably curious.

"I watched TV while mom was out, some shopping. The stores out there suck." Allison said bitterly.

Ron understood, it had been over 20 years since the attack. The Middleton Mall was rebuilt but stores were slow to move back in. The last time Ron was in Middleton the mall sat half empty with no restaurants in the food court and only one main anchor store, Macey's. The mall was like a ghost town.

"Other than that how did you and your mother get along?"

Allison frowned, "Mom…she kind of lost interest in me when I couldn't fight very well…"

"I'm sure your mom didn't lose interest in you…" Ron's talk was interrupted by the ring of his cell phone, "Hang on a minute." He said as he raised a finger and pulled the interrupting device from his pocket.

Ron frowned as he saw that it was Marquis Dawson, one of his graduate assistants, "Coach Stoppable, this had better be important."

"_Bad news coach, Brandon Plummer just called his little brother Derrick drowned in a swimming accident."_

"Oh my God…" Ron said as he thought of the sophomore wide receiver he recruited from Georgia.

"_Yea, he wants to know if you could attend the funeral on Friday. I think it would mean a lot to him and his family."_

"Yea, yea, I can do that. Find out the details and get me on a plane for Atlanta on Thursday evening. I'll be in the office in about an hour." Ron told the assistant as he ended the call.

"Bandon Plummer's little brother drowned in a swimming accident." Ron said quickly to his daughter about his interruption.

Allison covered her mouth, "That's awful."

"Yea, I think the boy was only about 8 or so." Ron said sadly. "Look honey about your mother…She wasn't always a hard a woman. She can be really fun and…" He lost his train of thought, "You aren't fat. You're a very pretty girl. You favor your mother for looks." He told her trying to make her feel better.

"I wish I was dead sometimes." Allison said dejectedly.

Ron sighed as he rose from the bed. He embraced the girl, "Well I'm glad you're not. I just wish you'd cheer up. You always make me smile." He said as he forced a smile hoping to cheer the girl up.

She smiled weakly, "Thanks daddy."

He kissed her on the forehead and stepped out of the room. He needed to talk to Monique, he wanted her along. He always felt uncomfortable at funerals. He'd been to a few and he always felt he never said things that needed to be said.

Monique was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, "So…how'd it go?"

Ron rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had a persistent headache that just wouldn't leave him alone, "I think I cheered her up. I need you to go to Atlanta with me on Thursday evening for a funeral. Brandon Plummer's little brother died in a swimming accident."

"Oh my God, not Derrick…" Monique exclaimed as she covered her mouth from shock. Part of the job of a football coach's wife was to serve as surrogate mother during the season. Monique knew each player by name and something about each of the boys.

The players appreciated her efforts and referred to her as Coach Mom whenever she attended a function. Monique knew Brandon and knew his younger brother from meeting with the family.

"Yea, I'm going into the office to find out more about what happened.

Monique looked at her husband, "You feeling alright. You don't looks so good."

Ron waved her concern away, "Just a headache…"

* * *

After a long day at the office Ron returned home late. Dealing with a death of one of his players took an emotional toll on him. He had talked to the family and found out that the boy had died while they were vacationing at Lake Oceechobee. Ron and Monique had a small vacation house on the lake. He wished that they could get away more often than they were able too. 

Monique was waiting up for him dressed in her nightgown and bathrobe she met him at the door. "Dinner's in the microwave."

"I'm not hungry." He said sullenly.

"Long day?" Monique said affecting a sympathetic tone.

Ron nodded, "Yea…Kids in bed?"

Monique nodded her head and said sadly, "I talked to Mrs. Plummer, Derrick drowned just down the road from the lake house."

"Yea, poor people." Ron said as he walked past her to climb the stairs.

Monique watched her husband as he shuffled by. He was really not looking very well, "You're going to the doctor tomorrow." She said as she followed him into their room.

Ron shook his head, "I just need some sleep."

The cell phone rang. A pained look crossed his face, "What do they want now? I've been on the phone all day." He whined as he checked the number.

"Don't answer it." Monique offered.

He frowned and opened the phone, "Coach Stoppable, this better be important."

"_Hey Coach you know Brandon Plummer's brother…"_

Ron cut the caller off, "Yea, I know all about Jerry. I'm going to funeral on Friday."

Jerry Michaels was the media relations director for the University of Miami. He had only just heard the news and was surprised that Ron hadn't called him with the information earlier in the day.

"_I'm working on a press release. You want me to add anything from you?"_

Kicking off his shoes, Ron sat on the edge of the bed, "I don't know, you think we should check with the Plummer's first?"

"_I've been in touch with the funeral home in Stockbridge. I have the information."_

Ron rubbed his face. He wished he would have listened to Monique. Now he had to try and come up with something useful and sympathetic to say. "Yea, ummm…Just put that I will be at the funeral at the family's request and how shocked and saddened I and the whole Miami Hurricane's family is at the tragic loss of such a fine young man."

"_I gotcha, Coach, you feeling alright? You don't sound too hot." _

A loud groaned escaped Ron's lips, "I'd be just super duper if this stupid little phone would quit ringing so I can go to bed."

"_Oh, sorry coach. I'll get that release out for the morning papers and sports talk shows."_

He disconnected the call, then turned the phone off and handed it to Monique, "Put this on the charger."

Monique took the phone, "Allison seemed better tonight."

Finally some good news for a change, Ron grinned wearily. "About time something good happened today."

Ron pulled off his shirt and took a t-shirt from the dresser. The home phone rang and Ron groaned, "I'm asleep..." he told her as he pointed towards the phone.

Monique shook her head, "I got your back..." She said as she picked up the phone. "Hello"

"_Hey Momo..."_

"HANA" Monique exclaimed happily as she heard her sister in law's voice.

"_Sorry about the late call, tell my brother I know he's trying to go to bed but this is important."_ Hana said curtly.

Hana after graduation from high school decided to find her roots and moved to Yamanouchi ninja school for training and to find herself. After two years she decided that being a ninja warrior wasn't for her, returned to the United States to attend school at San Diego State University. This of course led Ron to chide her as he had played against that university 4 times in the course of his college football career with the University of Wyoming.

In San Diego while pursuing a degree in economics, she had met a graduate student by the name of Templeton Jarvis Phelps. Ron took an instant dislike to the man. He believed him to be a closet homosexual and nothing but trouble for Hana. The only reason Ron had him pegged as a closet homosexual was as he explained his gut feeling to Monique. "You tell me what kind of man has more beauty products than his wife and takes longer to get ready to go anywhere than she does."

Ron's fears had so far been unfulfilled as the couple had been married now for ten years. Monique chalked up all of Ron's objections to his tendency to be a knee jerk reactionary that was at his core afraid of change of any sort.

Monique looked disappointed as she handed the phone to Ron, "She's all business."

Ron frowned as he took the phone, "Hey baby sister, how you doing?"

"_I had one of my visions Ron, check on your kids."_ Hana said being as equally curt with Ron.

"So how's things with you and...Travis?" Ron asked as he rolled his eyes.

"_Ron, you know damn good and well that his name is Templeton. Now get off your lazy fat butt and go check on your kids, do it right now."_ Hana ordered as she struck a very unpleasant tone with him.

Ron sighed, "I'll let you talk to Monique while I check on the kids."

Monique took the phone, "Hi Hana, how's my little nephews..."

Walking out of the room Ron was grumbling, "Miracle kids, probably used a turkey baster. That pole smoker's not going to father kids willingly..."

The nagging headache that had plagued Ron for the last few days returned as he peeked into Ronnie's room. The boy was sprawled across his twin bed. Ron grinned as he muttered under his breath, "Like father, like son."

"Never calls to talk anymore, just to warn of impending doom." He continued to grumble about Hana as he opened the door to Steven's room. He was sound asleep, arm dangling off the side of the bed.

He made his way down to Annie's room, tapped gently on the door as he turned the knob. She was asleep. He breathed a sigh of relief, "Only have 3 more to go..."

Allison's door was already ajar as Ron came to it. He opened the door a crack. The bed was still made and there was no sign of Allison around. He tried to figure out where she was, _"Maybe she's sleeping in Myracle's room." _He thought hopefully.

He made his way down the hall to his youngest daughter's room. He opened the door and saw that she was fast asleep. Ron frowned, as he made a check on Lionel. He was asleep. Ron made his way downstairs the house was dark and silent. He went through the kitchen and glanced out towards the pool. There he saw Allison, laying on one of the chase lounges.

"Ah, there you are."

Ron turned the back patio light on to wake her up. Allison didn't move. He made his way outside. He saw she was still clad in the t-shirt and shorts she wore earlier in the day. A note and a pill bottle on a rested on a little round table beside his daughter. Ron's blood turned to ice as he picked up the note.

"_I'm sorry Daddy._

_I try to be happy for you, but I just can't do it anymore._

_Tell Annie and everyone that I love them._

_Maybe if I wasn't so fat and useless, people would love me._

_Please don't tell mom, she'll only get mad."_

It took a moment for the not to register with Ron then panic set in. He stuffed the note in his pocket, and knelt beside his daughter. Ron started to lightly slap Allison on the face, trying to force her to regain consciousness, "Wake up baby, WAKE UP!"

"Mo…MONIQUE!" Ron screamed as he continued to try and awaken the unconscious girl.

"MONIQUE!" Fear gripped Ron until he saw Allison's eyes flutter.

"MONIQUE, CALL 911, CALL 911!" He screamed again.

Ron looked around quickly as he tried to rouse Allison. In all the excitement he was becoming winded. He was getting frustrated that Monique wasn't outside yet, "Where is she? MONIQUE!"

"What's going on on?" Steve asked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Get...your...mother!" Ron said as he gasped for air..

"Ron, what's happened?" Monique said from the doorway.

He glanced towards her as he continued to try and wake his daughter, "It's Allison, call 911."

Monique turned and ran back into the house. Now all the kids were up and making their way to the pool. Annie was upset, "Allison's going to be alright?"

Allison was becoming aware as her eyes fluttered open, "You…you weren't supposed to find me until morning." She said just be for closing her eyes again.

Ron began to cry, "Wake up honey, wake up."

The wail of sirens could be heard in the distance as Monique knelt by Ron's side, "What did she do?"

He pointed to the pill bottle, "She took those I think."

Monique picked up the bottle, "The doctor gave me these years ago so I could sleep. There were only four pills left."

The persistent headache Ron had for the last few days now pounded like a drum in his head. Vision becoming blurry and his fingers were tingling. He called out for his wife, "MONIQUE!"

"I'm right here Ron, you don't have to shout." Monique scolded.

The EMS crew arrived at the house. Monique had stationed Ron Jr. at the front door to lead them to the pool. The EMS crew arrived just in time to see Ron stand quickly and fall to the ground. He heard Monique scream as the EMS personnel rushed to aide him. Ron looking up from the cement next to the in ground pool, pushed them away, "Go to Allison, I'm alright, just dizzy."

Allison was becoming more alert as she mumbled over and over again. "No, you weren't supposed to find me until morning."

Monique began to cry as she helped Ron into a patio chair. He looked at her, his heart was racing, his head was pounding and he was not alright. Ron rolled his head on his neck towards Monique and said softly, "Make sure Allison is alright."

Monique walked over to where the EMT's were working with Allison. A Police Officer walked over to Ron, "We need some information."

Ron breathing was labored, "I didn't call the police."

The officer nodded, "Anytime a 911 call is placed all emergency personnel are deployed, EMT's, Fire Department, Police." The officer noted Ron's appearance, "Are you feeling alright?"

"No" Ron said as the realization hit home that he was in fact in trouble.

The police officer walked over to the EMT's looking after Allison. Ron Jr. approached his father, "You all right dad?"

Ron smiled as best he could for the boy, "I've been better."

A female EMT quickly walked over and took Ron's pulse, "You are Mr. Stoppable?"

"Yes" Ron said nervously.

"What seems to be the trouble today?"

What was the trouble? Ron didn't know how to answer the question. He hadn't been feeling well for a time but put it off to the stress of his workload. Ron finally shook his head, "I...I don't know."

The woman nodded her head as she pulled a device from her kit, "I'm going to take your blood pressure."

"How's my daughter?" Ron said urgently as Allison's needs surely had to take precedent over his own with these EMT people, he thought.

"She's being looked after. For right now I need you to relax so I can get this device on your finger." She told him..

Ron closed his eyes and nodded. The female EMT put a small device over his ringer finger of his right hand and pressed a button. She watched the device expand with air to restrict the flow of blood to the finger. The device was automated and soon it was deflating. A reading of 210 over 105 flashed on the small LED screen.

The EMT looked at Ron, "Are you having any chest pains?"

"No..."

"Any history of heart disease in your family?" She asked as she made some quick notes on a clipboard.

"Dad, dad died of congestive heart failure." Ron said quietly.

One of the responding police officers approached Ron, "The girl said something about a note. Do you have any kind of note?"

Ron was becoming alarmed as he horridly answered, "NO, no, there was no note..."

The officer frowned at Ron, "Just so you know, she claims that this was a suicide attempt. If you are hiding a note you can be charged with obstruction..."

His lower lip trembled, as Ron began to sob, "I...I don't want her to get into anymore trouble. She's a good girl."

The EMT looked up at the officer, "This will have to wait this man is having trouble breathing."

Ron was hyperventilating as he tried to fight back his tears. Through blurry eyes he could see his children gathered around him. This can't be the end, he thought as he tried to calm himself down. Ron looked around desperately for his wife, "Monique..."

"I'm here baby, I'm here." Monique said softly as she knelt down beside Ron.

The female EMT held up an oxygen mask, "I'm going to need to put this on. It will help you breath."

Ron blocked her from putting on the mask. His eyes focused, he was thinking clearly. Sensing the end may be close, he grabbed Monique's arm and spoke in a low hushed tone so the children wouldn't hear, "Office, center drawer, in the back is the key to the safety deposit box. That is where my will is."

The EMT placed the mask over Ron's face, "You need to breathe normally."

He nodded his head and closed his eyes.

Monique eyes grew large as she tried to think of what to do. Surely Ron couldn't be dying. He was only 46, they were only 46. Monique began to sob, "It'll be alright baby, it'll be alright. Allison is going to be fine. You're going to be fine. You'll see."

The kids stood around their parents mesmerized. Annie was brought out of her trance as she heard Allison calling out for her father. Annie spun and walked over to where Allison lay on the chase lounge, "ALLISON YOU IDIOT, YOU KILLED DADDY!"

Ron's eyes opened as he turned to look at Monique. She saw the flash of anger in his eyes. She stood up quickly, "Ronnie, you're in charge. Get these kids inside and get them to bed, NOW!"

The male half of the EMT team stepped forward, "We really should take both of them in to be checked out."

The female EMT looked up at Mrs. Stoppable, "Your husband does have health insurance?"

Monique's narrowed her eyes, "Of course he works for the University of Miami..."

The female EMT froze as she realized now who she had been treating, "He's that Ronald Stoppable?"

"YES!" Monique said impatiently.

"Well we're going to take him and Ms. Possible to University Medical Center if you'd like to ride with us?" She said quickly.

Monique shook her head, "No, I'm going upstairs to change and I'll drive over."

The rest of the night was a blur for Ron. He remembered looking over to see Allison sitting next to him in the ambulance. He gave her a smile and small wave to show he was alright. She looked away as she tried to hide the tears in her eyes.

At the Miller Medical Center near the University of Miami. Ron was wheeled into the emergency room and Allison was taken to another part of the hospital. The crowd around Ron was large. Doctors and nurses coming to gape at a local celebrity, finally the ER doctor shooed the curious onlookers away.

The doctor looked at is chart, "Good morning Mr. Stoppable. I'm Doctor Byron Smith, looks like you have some high blood pressure issues. Mr. Stoppable are you allergic to any medication?"

The EMT's helped Ron off the gurney and onto a bed. Nurses and equipment started to fill up the room. His eyes darted from person to person, he didn't see Allison anywhere. A cold shudder passed through his body, as awful thoughts crossed his mind. _"What if she's worse off than they expected?"_

Ron closed his eyes and tried to remember, "Codeine I think..."

"Anything else?"

"No" He said shaking his head.

A nurse approached with sensor patches to place on his chest, "Mr. Stoppable, I need you to pull up your shirt for me."

Ron did as he was told. Dr. Smith spotted the scars from the old wounds immediately. "Those scars on your chest, the old gunshot wounds, you ever have any medical related problems with them?"

"No..."

"Fine, I'm going to give you a 15 mg dose of Altace. We need to get this blood pressure down before you have a stroke on us. Then we'll draw some blood and poke around on you?" Doctor Smith said in a dispassionate voice as he jotted some notes down on the chart.

Not knowing was finally getting to Ron, "Do you know how my daughter is doing?"

"They took her up to the fourth floor...for observation." Dr. Smith told him as he kept his face firmly planted in Ron's chart.

Ron didn't like the fact that she wasn't in the ER where he could see her with his own eyes. He cleared his throat, "Do you know when I will be able to see her?"

A lady who worked admitting patients entered the room. "Not until we finish with you in here, Mr. Stoppable. Is your wife going to handle the admittance paper work for the two of you?"

"Yea, she can handle the paper work." Ron grumbled unhappily.

"I assume you both have insurance?" The woman asked.

Ron's face was beat red as his emotions were turning from sadness to anger, "YES I HAVE INSURANCE, I work for the University, I have insurance."

"Ms. Sanford, work on the admittance papers so Mrs. Stoppable can fill them out when she arrives." He looked at Ron, "Mrs. Stoppable is arriving, I trust?"

"Yes" Ron said sullenly.

The sights and sounds of the emergency room kept Ron up all night. He looked around the sterile environment and sighed. This was not where he wanted to be. He was not sick, he just needed to see Allison and get some sleep. He needed to see Monique, seeing Monique would make him feel a hundred times better.

At 2:30 AM a nurse stopped by to take a blood pressure reading, and to draw blood. "My husband's a big fan of yours. He loves the Cane's..."

"Ah ha, ha, ha, I was praying you guys weren't Nole's fans." Ron half heartedly teased.

He closed his eyes and thought about the upcoming season. The two schools were in different divisions of the ACC. The Florida State Seminoles from Tallahassee, Florida, the northern part of the state. They were also the University of Miami's in state rivals playing in the ACC Atlantic Division. While the Miami Hurricane's played in the ACC Coastal Division. It seemed like the two schools were always meeting up for the ACC Championship game.

"Hey baby, how you feeling?" Monique asked as she was led into the room.

Ron's mind left football and returned to the here and now. He smiled sadly as Monique bent over and kissed him on the forehead, "I'm glad you're here. I was...I was getting worried."

Monique sighed, "Paper work..."

"How's Allison?"

"They took her to the 4th floor for observation. The 4th floor is for the psychiatric patients." She whispered.

He tried to sit up in bed, "What? There's nothing wrong with her. It was an accident."

"RON!" Monique scolded.

Ron slumped back in bed. His eyes welled with tears, "She's a good girl..."

"I know Ron. They'll probably prescribe some anti depressants, and make her go to therapy or something." Monique said trying to reassure him.

He frowned and looked around the room to make sure they were alone, "I was so scared. I didn't know what to do." He told her as his voice shook from the emotion of the night.

Monique took him by the hand, "You did fine, Allison's going to be fine. Now we need to do some serious talking about you."

"Me?"

"You" She reaffirmed.

"I don't..."

"Ron, you've got high blood pressure and they think you have diabetes. We're going to have to change the way we do things. We're not kids anymore." She said softly.

He was still in denial. Surely he didn't have those diseases, he didn't feel sick, "I don't think it's as bad as all that."

Monique found a chair and pulled it up beside the bed, "You've put on some weight, and I've put on some weight. We have to change our diet and start exercising. No more Bueno Nacho."

"I'd rather die..." Ron said firmly. Until he saw the look on Monique's face, "Sorry, poor choice of words, I'll do whatever you want me to."

"I'm sorry baby, we just aren't young anymore." Monique said trying to soften the blow. She knew he would be in denial for sometime. Life changing events always left their marks. She knew he would be surely for a bit, even depressed, but she couldn't let things go on the way they had been going.

"You're also going to have cut back with the University. Take time for a vacation or worse yet spend some time relaxing with me." She grinned.

Ron wasn't looking at her now. He knew in his heart she was right. It had been what? Five years since they had a vacation together, where did the time go? He sighed, "It's just hard to cut back...It's like the football program is this big monster and it's all I can do to keep it intact."

Monique leaned over and smoothed Ron's grey hair, "I know you love coaching, love working with the kids. But baby, we have our own kids and they need you too."

"After we go to the Plummer funeral on Friday, we'll sit down and go over my schedule. We'll make the necessary cuts..."

"Quit talking like a coach. We start making the changes now. Do we really need to go to this funeral?" Monique asked.

Ron let out a deep breath, "I'd really rather not go, but a promise is a promise. I said I would be there. I feel I have to be there. Always follow through on what you promise. I have to be there."

Monique knew Ron wouldn't budge from the promise so she reluctantly agreed, "Fine, we'll go...Now for the other matter."

"Other matter?" Ron asked trying to think what the other matter could be.

"The police are going to talk to you tomorrow about that note. I think it would be easier if you gave it to me. Then I can miraculously find it at home and get you off the hook for hiding it. You did hide it?" Monique asked, suddenly becoming afraid that Ron had destroyed it.

He dug into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled up note. Handing it over to Monique, his lip quivered, "I just didn't want her to get into any trouble."

Tears filled Monique's eyes as she rushed to Ron's side and hugged him, "I know, baby, I know..."

* * *

Allison lay on the hospital bed staring out the window. It was another gorgeous South Florida day, not a cloud in the sky, bright and sunny. Her mood didn't reflect the weather outside. Everything had gone wrong in her mind. She was still alive, her father was ill, and the rest of the kids in her family probably hated her. She sighed as she reviewed the plan in her head. She left a note, took all 4 pills in the bottle. Maybe it wasn't enough pills? She began to think of a new plan when the door to the room opened. 

A nurse walked into the room. She was far too cheery for Allison's tastes. The matronly woman with brown hair pulled back into a bun wore the blue scrubs of a nurse. She smiled gaily, "I have a visitor outside for you."

Allison frowned. She knew who the visitor would be, her father. She looked at the door to see a nurse wheeling him into the room in a wheelchair. He looked far older than she had remembered. Tears welled up in her eyes. Her daddy was starting to show his age.

"Hi daddy..." She whispered.

Ron clad in Miami Hurricane pajamas stood up from the wheelchair and hugged her tightly. Allison who was fighting back tears lost the fight and began to sob, "I'm sorry daddy, I didn't mean to make you sick..."

He kissed his daughter and held her tighter, "You didn't make me sick honey. I've been sick for a while and never knew it."

Allison pulled back from her father and examined the pajamas, "I like the Sebastian the Ibis, he looks tough..."

Ron laughed as he looked at the fierce looking bird, with his fists balled up. Clad in a orange long sleeve sweater and sporting a sailors hat that read Hurricanes. The mascot was truly eye catching, "You like the pajamas, Monique bought them this morning from Smarty Mart. You want a pair?"

"No..." Allison laughed.

"It's good to see you smile again." Ron said softly as he resumed his seat in the wheelchair.

Allison shrugged, "I suppose you're mad at me..."

Ron took a deep breath to collect his thoughts, "Not mad, upset maybe but not mad. You scared me stupid last night..."

She began to cry, "I've just feel so useless. Everybody has something their good at and I'm not good at anything."

"You're kind of like me. I didn't think I was good at much. I was a late bloomer. I never dreamed I'd be good at sports, much less football. You just need to be patient and see where your talent lies." Ron said patiently.

Allison smiled halfheartedly, "Thanks daddy…"

"Did it help?"

She shook her head, "Not really."

Ron threw up his hands in frustration, "You see, you see, I'm not any good with this stuff. I knew I should have let Monique do the talk thing…"

"Did I hear my name being called?" Monique asked as she entered the room.

Allison giggled, "Yea, daddy tried the talk thing."

Monique frowned as she looked at Ron with playful annoyance, "You know better than that."

He sensed the lifting of heaviness in the room and was relieved by it. He was happy Monique waited outside for her cue. She was the safety valve in case he screwed things up. He was glad he didn't need her this time, "It's a woman conspiracy thing I tell you."

"How are you feeling Allie?" Monique asked, ignoring her husband's playful rant.

"I'm OK. I'm just sorry I caused so many problems." Allison said dejectedly.

"Well, you'll have time to make it up to us. I'm told you're going to be seeing a psychiatrist and then you also have to face your sister." Monique told her in a tone that left little doubt she was serious.

Allison sighed, "I guess she's pretty upset."

Ron nodded, "She's your twin, the other kids are pretty scared too."

"I really screwed things up." Allison whimpered as tears returned to her eyes.

Ron reached over and took her hand, "Hey, hey, that's enough of that. It's nothing that can't be taken care of with time."

Monique came over and hugged her, "They don't hate you, they just want you better that's all."

The nurse returned to the room, it was time for them to leave. Ron protested but was assured he could come back after six. Allison was to talk with the doctor and then have a group therapy session. Once he was wheeled outside the room. He turned to Monique who was pushing him back to his room, "I wish they wouldn't put her in there with all those crazy people." He said sullenly.

Monique frowned, "Well she did try to commit suicide and she's still under a suicide watch."

Ron sighed. He had his fill of hospitals and was more than ready to leave the hospital. He was down. He had both high blood pressure and diabetes. Then to top things off Monique was now suddenly on fitness kick. Still he thought, it would be nice to shed a few pounds, "You brought me a change of clothes."

"For the 5th time, yes…" Monique said, her voice had a slight edge to it.

He picked up on the tone, "Sorry, I…have my mind on other things."

"I'm just tired. I hardly got any sleep." She said as they entered Ron's room.

"We'll get some sleep and come back tonight to visit Allison." Ron said wearily.

"I put Ronnie and Annie on the visitors list. The other kids are too young." Monique said..

The cell phone on the nightstand started to ring. Ron sighed as he picked it up, "I wish they could leave me alone for a few days…" He checked the caller ID, "Oh, it's Wade."

Ron answered the call, much to Monique's displeasure.

"Hey Wade, what's the sitch?"

It had been a few years since he heard from his old friend. Wade moved out of the Middleton area with his family about 4 years after the Lowardian attack. His family had decided that even though they lived in one of the more exclusive gated residential communities. They realized early on that there was little hope of their house being rebuilt. The family decided to move away. Settling in Hinsdale, Illinois a suburb of Chicago, the family went about the business of rebuilding their lives.

Wade's mother had picked the region. She had family in Hinsdale and since it was close to Chicago, finding work would be easier. Wade started a software security business and he made a good living backing up a number of the Fortune 500 companies that were based in the area.

He and Ron had remained friends over the years. Wade would be forever grateful that Ron was able to score him a computer system after the attack. The two had kept in touch over the years. Ron attended his wedding a few years after he and Monique had wed. He had also attended his second marriage a few years after Ron, Jr. was born. Then he attended his most recent wedding the year after Myracle was born.

"_Hey Ron, how's Allison doing?"_

Ron frowned, "She's going to be fine."

"_I put in a call to Kim but she's out of the office."_

"NO!" Ron said firmly.

"_What, why, no call to Kim?"_

"Allison doesn't want her to know." Ron explained.

"_Why?"_

Ron sighed, "Kim and the girls don't get along so hot. Allison just got back from a trip out west to see her."

"_Oh…"_

"Yea…"

"_I understand, Kim can make things worse."_

"Thanks Wade, how's…." Ron couldn't remember the name of Wade's current wife, "…the newest Mrs. Load?"

He could hear Wade laughing over the phone, _"Angelia, we divorced about three years ago."_

Ron laughed, "I gotcha, how are the kids?"

"_Let's see Brandon hates me and blames me for all of his short comings. Keisha likes me just so long as the college tuition is paid, and Xavier…He's the chip off the old block. computer genius, like his dad."_

"So you have help, babysitting Kim these days."

"_A little, you tired of Monique yet? I sure wouldn't mind taking a shot at wife number 4."_

Ron glanced over towards Monique, "No, no, I think I'll keep Monique a while longer. I've kind of grown attached to her."

Monique made a face at him, "What's Wade want?"

"He's looking for wife number 4." Ron explained.

"HA! You tell that little…I wouldn't marry him if he was the last man on earth." Monique said firmly.

Wade overheard Monique,_"You tell Monique that I might have to build me another gadget."_

Ron looked over to her, "Wade says he's going to build another device, so you'll fall in love with him again."

Monique pursed her lips, "Oh no, not again. Hang up, hang up on him now Ron."

"Wade, I have to go. Monique's in a hurry to get home. Plus I don't think she likes the idea of being wife number 4." Ron said clearly amused by his wife.

"_Tell him I'm heartbroken. I won't tell Kim if that's what you want."_

"Not what I want, what Allison wants. Thanks Wade." Ron said as he closed up the cell phone.

"So you're not going to pawn me off on Wade?" Monique teased.

Ron shook his head, "No the kids would never forgive."

Monique punched him in the arm, "Jerk"

* * *

Eaton Trendle walked up to the front door. Tonight he would keep the evening light as he had promised. He could tell that he had put the couple through the wringer the night before. Tonight he was armed fun little items from Ron's past. He was most curious about nicknames that Ron had received when he played football at Wyoming. Most notably early in Ron's college career when he was known as Zorpox the Conqueror or Blue Light. 

There would also be some word association, and he had a bunch of names he was going to throw out to see if Ron or Monique could remember them. He was most curious about Sheila Go, the head of the Go Family Charities. How could one woman go from a criminal to a civic leader? This he thought could be a story unto itself.

He stopped at the front gate to the Stoppable mansion. Eaton pushed the call button to alert those inside that they had visitors. Looking around he noted that football had been very good to this man. Behind the lush trees and vegetation that engulfed the front of the home, one could clearly see the double stair cases leading towards the twin front doors.

The home was built in the 1920's as a getaway house for the robber barons of the day. It served as a getaway for the super rich to escape the harsh winters of the north. The house had a red clay shingle roof, white walls and an exterior design that hinted at a traditional Spanish villa.

Inside a two story double grand stair entry, leading to the second floor would be the first thing a visitor would see. Once past the staircases was a formal living room, to the right of the living room was a formal dining room off to the left of the foyer with a wind cellar large enough to accommodate a table and chairs plus refrigerator to the right of living room. Near the back of the residence was Ron's office complete with a ½ bath. Down the hall from his office was a two story library with spiral stair case, both office and library faced the rear of the property and the pool. The family room consisted of a state of the art entertainment facility, full wet bar and a two sided fireplace. Complete with a bearskin rug when company wasn't over.

Eaton grinned, wondering how many Stoppable children had been conceived in front of that fireplace and on top of that bearskin rug?

The island kitchen with a sizeable pantry was to the right the family room, on the other side of the kitchen was a small breakfast room that led out to the in ground swimming pool. To the back of the property was a 3 car garage, with a covered entry porch and large rear two story covered porch on the rear of the house.

The small house to the rear to the rear of the swimming pool was Eaton guessed a guest house or a pool house. He wasn't for sure. One thing he was sure of was that Ron Stoppable was the owner of a very substantial piece of Florida real estate.

"_Can I help you?"_The voice said from the intercom.

Eaton smiled, _"Let's not forget the state of the art security system surrounding the home."_

"Eaton Trendle, I have an appointment to see Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable."

"_Come on in"_ The voice said as a buzzer sounded unlocking the gate that faced the street.

The writer pushed the gate open and walked the 100 yards to the entrance of the large home. The door opened and much as he suspected the owner of the mystery voice opened the door for him. Myracle smiled as she let him inside, "Mom and Dad will be back in a few minutes, they're taking their nightly walk."

Eaton nodded as he looked around the large entryway, "Good exercise…"

"Yea, they try to walk every night since Daddy had to go to the hospital." She explained as she motioned for him to follow her.

He followed the lanky girl who was clearly a looker. Eaton bet that Ron had his hands full fending off all of the boys. He thought reluctantly about when he would have to do the same with his daughter. Eaton followed the girl who was clad in the fashion of the time, running shoes, running shorts and a spaghetti string white top. Eaton's curiosity was peaked about Ron's trip to the hospital, "Oh, when was that?"

Myracle screwed up her face as she tried to remember, "Oh, I think maybe about 10 or 12 years ago. I was about 5 or 6 then. I don't remember too much about it."

She showed Eaton to the family room, "You can wait here. They should be back anytime now."

It was obvious to Eaton that this is where the Stoppable family spent the majority of their time. Pictures of children and grandchildren lined the walls. A monument to children he thought as he looked over the various pictures. He stepped back for a moment as he realized. There was little or nothing in the room that was football oriented.

"_Looks like Dr. Stoppable has a strong belief in keeping his work and family separate."_

The sound of the back door opening caught both of their attention. Myracle smiled, "There they are. They always follow the same routine, walk between six and seven. Yell at me until 7:30 except when company is here…sometimes…."

Ron and Monique entered the living room. Monique grinned, "Is it time for more mental torture?"

Ron narrowed his eyebrows at Myracle, "Why are you here? Why aren't you in school or something?"

Myracle lifted her chin, "Because it's night time, that's why."

"Oh, I figured since you've been lounging around all day, they must have changed the hours." He said in playful annoyance.

"Pinkeye daddy, that's why I've been home all week," His daughter reminded him.

Ron said as he moved to shake Eaton's hand, "Oh, I thought there was a reason. Well Eaton, what's the flavor of torture for tonight?"

Eaton looked at the two clad in matching Miami Hurricane exercise clothing and smiled, "Oh just a light workout tonight I think. I need you to tell me about a few people."

Ron watched as Eaton took out a pocket voice recorder and his notebook, "Hopefully only people I like. I'm not much for talking out of Temple about people, unless of course it's really good gossip."

He smiled at Monique as she and Myracle sat down on the couch facing the love seat that Eaton was sitting. Monique lifted an eyebrow, "What?"

Ron shook his head, "Just thinking…"

"About how I love to gossip?" Monique said irritably.

"No, but that is a good guess. I was thinking about a king in his throne." Ron said happily as he pulled the lever to engage the footrest of his recliner.

"You just want me to come over there and crown you…" Monique said playfully.

Eaton chuckled as he watched the couple carry on. He hated to interrupt them but he did have an interview to conduct and not a lot of time for the evening, "Tell me about Sheila Go…"

Monique chuckled, "Oh he wants to know the good stuff."

Ron grinned, "Sheila Go the head of Go Family Charities. I knew her when her name was just Shego."

"That's what fascinates me. How can this woman who used to run with Super Villains be the head of one of the nation's most philanthropic charities?" Eaton asked.

"Well…it's complicated. I'm sure I don't know much about it." Ron said evasively.

Eaton nodded only half believing him, "I was going over some of the old arrest reports from back then. Kim Possible's name is usually on the record as being instrumental in stopping her and Dr. Drakken. Your name also appears from time to time.

Ron sat up straight in the recliner, "Really?"

The hook was set and Ron was reeled in, "Yea, something about you being involved in a failed attempt at world domination, a large building made of cheese was involved. Kind of a strange plan, wouldn't you say? World domination through cheese, I mean…come on?"

"Well it was a little more involved than that. There was a laser drill involved…The hideout was made out of cheese. Not just a cheese covered building but a whole building made out of cheese." Ron explained.

Eaton nodded his head, not quite sure what to say. "Uh huh…"

Ron frowned, "Well you had to be there."

"So how did Shego go from that life to the life of a philanthropist?"

"Well, Shego was a handful and she played a major part in the destruction of the volcano…Lowardians…" Ron trailed off as he tried to think of the proper words.

"I saw in one of the reports that you said she tried to do…" Eaton looked at his note book for the correct quote. "…do badical violence to my BFGF but she got the smack down instead?"

Monique frowned, "You had such a command of the language back then."

Mryacle started laughing, "BADICAL, What's badical? What's BFGF mean?"

Ron chuckled nervously as he squirmed in his recliner, "Yea…uh…I'm not sure about the report but Sheila and Kim fought a lot. I mean really fought, kung fu stuff…uh…"

"Thank God you grew up, and learned how to use big people words." Monique said as she rolled her eyes.

"OK, I can figure out badical, but BFGF?" Myracle prodded.

Monique looked a bit annoyed at her daughter, "Best friend, girl friend, this was BMR."

"BMR?" Myracle asked clearly not used to her mother's abbreviation system.

"Before My Relationship…" Monique said testily as she shot her daughter a look that clearly meant she was not to pursue the question any further.

The realization sank in with Myracle that her father was talking about Annie and Allison's mother. In deference and a small amount of fear of her mother's wrath, she decided to not pursue the issue any further. "Oh"

Ron cleared his throat, "Ah, Shego could be a bit of a handful back then."

Eaton interrupted the exchange before it wondered too far off topic, "So how does Shego become Sheila Go, philanthropist?"

"Ummmm..." Ron shifted in his recliner again, trying to come up with a story that wouldn't bring an angry old woman with glowing green hands to his doorstep. "It's hard to say. I mean Shego could be a bit of a...handful. I'm not really sure, but I think returning home to Go City after the attack to burry her brothers might have had something to do with it."

"All of her brothers died in the attack?"

Ron nodded his head, "As best we can figure, Go Tower was destroyed on the opening of the attack. They found Mego and Wego...Michael and Wesley in the rubble of the tower. They, they only found parts of Hego, Harold, near the downtown finical district. He fought the longest, the other brothers never got into the fight. Killed outright..."

Neither Ron nor Monique said anything else. It was clearly a subject that neither wanted very much to talk about. Eaton nodded his head sympathetically, "I can see how that would alter ones perspective."

"I think she just lost interest in the whole good and evil thing. Oh...if you don't use this in the book, I'd really appreciate it." Ron said feeling very apprehensive about the direction of the conversation.

Eaton didn't understand Ron's hesitance at mentioning anything about the former criminal turned philanthropist. "Why not, I mean it could be a book unto it's self. I mean how does she fund her charitable work?"

Ron sighed, annoyed at the authors continued insistence on the subject. "Shego...Sheila can be a bit temperamental. Her charity and my charity do a lot of cross promotion and I'd just as soon not endanger this particular partnership."

"Ah..." Eaton finally said understanding Ron's reluctance to talk. He just couldn't resist a follow up question about Sheila's mysterious funding of her charity. "Off the record, where does her money come from?"

"Where does any charitable money come from donations, royalties from weirdly eccentric inventions that her late boyfriend Dr. Drakken created...other sources I imagine?" Ron lied.

He knew well and good, that Drakken and Shego never really turned their back on crime. They just turned to a different sort of world domination. Instead of trying to rule the world, the chose a segment that would keep them off the radar screens of Global Justice, not to mention a certain murderous red head that worked for Global Justice.

White collar crime was the ticket to wealth. Fleecing large faceless corporations was a quick ticket to easy money. The corporations would hire Dr. Drakken for consulting work. He would enter their comfortable corporate structure and infiltrate the layers of bureaucracy and over paid simpleton CEO's. Write a software program that would fund a mysterious project for 10 or 20 million dollars a year for five years or so.

At the end of the project, there would never be any results. No one would remember what the mysterious project would involve. Dr. Drakken would be long gone and the CEO's and Boards of Director's would write the whole project up as a tax loss rather than submitting themselves to public humiliation by admitting that they had been conned.

"Late husband Ron..." Monique reminded him.

Ron's thoughts were brought back to the present, "What?"

"Shego's late husband, not boyfriend." Monique said once again.

He blinked, "They were never married."

Monique sighed shaking her head, "No, but they lived together nearly 30 years. In the eyes of the court, that would make Dr. D. her common law husband. She's a widower."

Ron thought it over before shrugging. "Oh"

Eaton realizing his vein of information about Shego had run dry pulled out another name from Ron's past. He looked at his notebook, "I've heard bad things about one of your old teachers, Steve Barkin. The information I've been getting is that he was less than heroic during the attack."

Monique raised her eyebrows, she knew what was coming. Eaton Trendle had just hit a hot button topic for Ron. Any mention of Steve Barkin in less than favorable light would stir her husband into an angry tirade faster than anything she had ever seen in all her years with him.

"Uh oh..." Myracle whispered.

Ron nearly came out of his recliner, "The man has one bad moment and he's to be judged and punished for it for the rest of his life? If it wasn't for that man, I probably wouldn't have graduated with my class, I wouldn't have gone to college, I wouldn't have made a good life for my family."

Eaton raised his eyebrows at Ron's outburst, "There were numerous reports of his breakdown..."

"He was scared. Nothing to be ashamed, God knows I've been afraid before. Something happens out of his realm of understanding...No, NO." Ron pounded the arm of his recliner and narrowed his eyes, "There are those that will say bad things about Mr. Steve Barkin. They know nothing, NOTHING, about the man. Steve Barkin was a good man, the man lived to teach." Ron said firmly.

Monique nodded her head sympathetically, "He did love to teach."

Ron laughed bitterly, "We used to joke that the Middleton School District never had any money because they could only afford one teacher. The man could teach anything."

"So you're not inclined to agree with the statements about his breakdown at Graduation?" Eaton asked.

"I wouldn't know, I wasn't there...I was occupied. If I wouldn't have thought much of Steve Barkin, I wouldn't have insisted on naming our second son after him. Steven Daniel...I model my coaching style after him...There's a lot of people still alive because of that man..." Ron's thoughts about Steve Barkin became more random, as his temper took over. He was angry. He had heard the man's name drug through the mud for 40 years and it pained him. Ron's jaws clamped shut like a vice as he tried to focus his anger.

Eaton made a few notes in his book before leaning back into the loveseat, "So tell me your outlook concerning the man. I think he would deserve a more balanced view, don't you think."

Ron took a deep breath, "Setting the record straight on Steve Barkin. Where does one begin?"

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter more is reveled in Ron and Kim's past relationship, and the truth is laid out about Steve Barkin through the eyes of a very appreciative Ron Stoppable. - Bubba **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I was able to control my writing this time around. Many thanks to those that left reviews. Expect new chapters soon for Knights of Zion and Ronnie Diamond The Case of the Monkey's Uncle. **

**Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Bubba **

* * *

The gauntlet had finally been thrown down. Eaton Trendle had inadvertently found the quickest route to Ron Stoppable's temper. He sensed that this good natured old football coach could be quite frightening if his temper was ever directed at you. Right now that temper was directed squarely at him.

Eaton had made the mistake of besmirching the name of one of Ron Stoppable's life mentors. A man that he felt history had treated wrongly. A man that paid the price for a momentary lapse from reason and a descent into fear, Steve Barkin in Ron Stoppable's view had paid the price.

"LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, I KNOW FEAR. I LIVE WITH FEAR..." Ron was screaming at the author.

"Honey..."Monique tried vainly to get Ron's attention. It was too late the horses were out of the barn and Ron was on a rant. She shook her head and settled in for a long diatribe that she had heard all too often before.

Ron began to quiet down but the anger and passion was still in his voice, "I was always afraid on those stupid missions with Kim. I just did the best I could with what I had to work with. Then I was afraid Kim was going to be killed by the Lawardians, afraid my family and friends were going to starve or get sick when there was no place to take them. Afraid of getting kicked off the team in college and being forced to return to Middlton to starve or eat dog food."

He paused for a breath before chuckling bitterly, "Then I grew up and had kids. That brought on a whole new set of fears. I was afraid I didn't feed them right or put them down for a nap properly, afraid they'd stop breathing in the night and I'd find them dead in the morning. Then when they got older, I was afraid they'd get hurt, snatched off the street. God the list goes on. I'm no stranger to fear."

Eaton Trendle made sure Ron had run out of steam emotionally before tempering his question, "So tell me why Steve..."

"MR. BARKIN'S A GOOD MAN BECAUSE I SAY SO!" Ron screamed.

"Ronnie, why not tell him why he's a good man." Monique said evenly, hoping her calm voice could relax Ron and get him to focus on telling Eaton something useful about Steve Barkin.

Ron realized he was sweating. He made a face and pulled off the top of the jogging suit he wore and threw it across the room. He pointed at Eaton angrily and said, "Do you want to know why Steve Barkin's a good man, huh...You want to know why?"

Eaton squirmed nervously, "If...it wouldn't be too..."

"FINE" Ron interrupted.

He sat in the recliner catching his breath and trying to think about where to start with his story, "I...I always thought Mr. Barkin had it out for me. Hated me, held a grudge against me since I gave him a funny look in the 9th grade..."

There was so much to tell about Steve Barkin it was difficult for Ron to find a good starting point, "The man was tough but fair...I...I didn't realize it at the time. I...I just always thought that he was out to get me because I wasn't a really good student."

Monique reached over and patted Ron on the arm, "You just had different priorities."

Ron chuckled, "Yea, like being lazy. The man would always dish out extra homework to me, give me detentions for minor infractions and then force me to do my homework. I never realized how much effort he was putting into making sure I didn't fall through the cracks. He made sure that when I graduated, I'd at least have enough skill sets to make into college. It would have been so easy to just slide through, take the easy way."

He glanced over at Myracle and said, "Honey could you get me a bottle of water? I think this is going to take a while."

Myracle jumped up, "I'll be right back. Don't start until I get back. I don't want to miss the good parts."

They chuckled as Myracle ran out of the room. Eaton was more than a little relieved that the tension in the room had eased a bit. Ron looked around the room at the pictures of his children and grandchildren, "None of this would have been possible without him. I don't know where I'd be now..."

Myracle came back into the room and handed her father a bottle of water. Ron grinned, "Record time..."

Monique chuckled, "She can be fast like her daddy if she's running from a whippin' or if she wants to hear the good stuff."

Ron laughed, "Steve Barkin, was a Persian Gulf Veteran, the first Persian Gulf War, not the second. He came back home and went to college on the GI Bill, received his degree and teaching certifications from the Colorado State University." Ron grinned, "The University of Wyoming's arch rivals..."

He twisted the cap of the bottled water and took a drink, "He wasn't from Colorado originally. He was from Gladstone, Missouri. He grew to love Colorado after being stationed at an army base in the state. Not sure which one. So anyway, he gets his degree and gets a job teaching high school and coaching football in Middleton, Colorado. He led a pretty ordinary life for a single man in his late 30's. Then fate intercedes and I enter the picture."

Monique chuckled, "It's always about you."

Ron chuckled, "Be quiet old woman, I'm telling this story. Anyway, for whatever reason I became the focus of his rather unique brand of teaching. I don't think you could say we were ever close, before I joined the football team. All that changed after the Lawardian attack. I think he got a good feel for what I went through all the time going on missions with Kim Possible. He knew fear from the attack and it unnerved him."

He paused to take another drink from the bottle, "He took a lot of shit over that night. More than he should have. Kids can be cruel. Jim and Tim Possible were one of the worst." Ron made a face and then hissed, "Assholes..."

The memories of the dark times in Middleton washed up in his mind like the tides racing onto the beach. Ron retreated from the room as he remembered all the abuse that Steve Barkin had took, as well as the way he was treated by people he used to consider friends.

Shaking his head to clear the bad memories, he tried to be upbeat but just couldn't find a good starting point to begin. Finally after a long moment Ron began to tell his story, "What made Steve Barkin a good man wasn't so much what he did before or during the attack. It was how he responded afterwards. When things looked really bleak he kept things tolerable. You just felt better about being stuck in that damn store for days at a time. Just knowing he was there to. Knowing he wouldn't ditch you or run off and hide. He was in command and that comforted people."

**

* * *

**

"_Are we feeling comfortable today, Stoppable?" _

Ron Stoppable lay on a break room table taking a nap. He was up for a break and after 18 hours on duty he had decided to curl up for a nap. The dream he was having wasn't particularly satisfying. He was flying a beach umbrella over the remains of downtown Middleton. The fires from the underground tanks of the Quick Mart were coming perilously close as he descended towards the flames from above.

"_STOPPABLE!"_

The sudden jolt caused by the screaming of his name caused Ron his body to spasm. His legs moved quickly as if he were trying to run, "I don't want to die..." He said in a drowsy voice.

"Who does, break time is over. Time for you to go stock some pet food." Barkin said patiently.

Ron sat up and rubbed his eyes. The white block walls of the break room came into focus. Glancing around he was relieved to see he wasn't gliding out of control into a raging gas fire. "We got pet food?"

"For what good it will do. Pets are dinner these days." He said with a wry grin.

"Man, I wish we'd get some food in. I'd love a big box of Pop Pop Porter's flash frozen Mini Corn Dogs right now." Ron grumbled as he tried to stifle a yawn.

Barkin smirked, "They're sending all our food to Denver and Boulder. Letting us depend on the kindness of the Red Cross and other charitable agencies."

Ron's mood took a turn for the worse. He had unloaded trucks full of electronics, household appliances, clothes and shoes and so far the only food he had seen in the two days he was there was skid full of goldfish crackers. Needless to say that skid never made it to the front of the store. "We have to eat too."

Steve Barkin chuckled bitterly, "Our brave public servants want to feed their constituents first. Hungry people have a tendency to kill elected officials if they're not fed properly."

Sliding off the table he looked around the empty break room, "Anymore trucks coming in?"

"Yea, but I'm going to spell you. Rotate you onto the floor. Let some other people enjoy unloading a truck full of bath towels and toiletries." Barkin explained.

He was glad, his muscles screamed at him from the over use over the last few days. "Thanks, I need a break. I'll take a pallet over to what's left of the pet department."

"Oh, Stoppable, I put aside a case of dog food for you." Barkin said quietly as he looked around the room.

Ron shook his head, "We don't have a dog."

"And you don't have any food at home either." Barkin informed him.

"Oh" Ron said suddenly understanding the meaning behind Barkin's statement. He shuffled towards the door to the room, turned back to his former teacher, "Thanks...I...hope it doesn't come to that."

Barkin folded his arms, "Me too."

Ron's bladder was full, so he made his way to the locker room. Grabbing an empty water bottle to pee in he made his way to an empty stall. He could hear someone snoring from the stall next to him. Unzipping his fly, he proceeded to fill the water bottle with pee. Finishing his business he capped the bottle. Muttering as he walked over to his locker, "I can't wait till we get some portable toilets."

Opening the door Ron examined his collection of what he was calling pee bombs. Six plastic 12 once plastic bottles full of urine stacked neatly inside his locker. For some insane reason known only to him, he had decided to shelve his specimens. He thought of it as an ongoing marking of the passage of time, a monument to lack of proper sanitation.

He winced as an awful thought crossed his mind, _"Man, if it starts getting warm in here this locker will be stinky."_

Looking at the sink, he thought how wonderful it would be to have running water again. To take a shower, a real shower, to be clean, to not try to cover the odor of body funk with cheap cologne. Two pumps of hand sanitizer and he was ready for another day. Or the same day, he had quite lost track of time inside the store.

Walking out onto the loading dock area, he found a pallet jack and maneuvered it towards a pallet loaded with Pedigree dog food. Sliding the forks under the pallet he pumped the handle three times to raise the pallet off the floor for transport. Looking at the brand name on the boxes and thinking about the case that Barkin laid aside for him. He muttered as he pulled on the load to get it moving, "We'll be eating fancy tonight. Woof, Woof."

Ron pushed the load through the reversible doors leading into the store. The store as usual was packed. Displaced people milling about, examining each and every item that came out from the back of the building, some did it for necessity, some did it just to pass the time. He came to a stop as people quickly surrounded his pallet.

"Dog food" One woman said disgustedly.

"When are we going to see food trucks come in?" One annoyed customer asked.

"I...I don't know..."Ron said wearily.

"We got some hungry people around here. The Red Cross is first come first serve. They haven't got enough food for all of us." A large man told Ron bitterly.

Before he could answer people swarmed over the boxes. Apparently Ron and his family weren't going to be the only ones dining on delicious canine delicacies. One woman grinned almost embarrassed to admit it, but also glad she wasn't alone, "I have some chili beans back home... I think I can make this into a chili."

Another man grinned happily as he grabbed a case, "At least I'll have a smooth shiny coat."

Watching the product leave his pallet with alarming speed, Ron resigned himself to the fact that he was probably going to have to go back and unload more trucks. So much for Mr. Barkin's kindness. A voice caught his attention. He looked around and spotted Kim. He grinned, happy to see a friendly face. He moved towards her before pulling up quickly. She was clean and smelled good, she had a bath or at the very least a shower.

"I've missed you." She said as she flew into his arms.

Ron hugged her and inhaled her fresh clean scent. They kissed before he pulled away. He was embarrassed, he hadn't smelled this badly since he was playing football, "I...I missed you too." He said uneasily.

Kim could see the uneasiness in his eyes. She decided to make conversation to put him more at ease. "We were relocated last night." She said nervously.

"Great, great..." Ron said taking a step backwards.

"We're over in Country Club Meadows...over by the...Middleton Country Club..." She explained.

Ron grinned, "Ah, your dad won't have far to go to play golf."

Kim giggled nervously, "No, no he won't will he."

Silence followed as the two stared at one another. Kim was trying to think of something to say. She had all these great and wonderful things to talk over with Ron, and now actually seeing him. Seeing him in the shape he was in, her mind drew a blank. Finally thinking of something to say, her face brightened, "So did your family get relocated to Country Club?"

Kim's wore out and exhausted boyfriend tilted his head as if he didn't quite comprehend the question. The understanding hit home to Ron, he had a new home that he had never been to. He quickly pulled the note from his pocket his father had sent to him. "Yea, yea, ummm, not in Country Club, we're in Pheasant Ridge, H Street, Box 8." He told her as he read from the note.

"Oh, that's a nice neighborhood." Kim said happily.

Ron shrugged, "I've never seen it. I haven't left the store in..." He tried to remember the day he came in. Then he tried to remember the day it was now, "...in a while."

She noted Ron's unshaven face, he was growing whiskers. She thought they made him look distinctly handsome, "Trying to grow a beard?"

"What?" Ron said apparently clueless about his own appearance.

"Nothing..." Kim quickly said.

It was as if an invisible wall had been erected to separate the couple. Kim realized it was a wall of odor. Ron didn't want to get too close to her. Embarrassed by the way he smelled. She understood now, she wouldn't comment anymore on his personal appearance.

"How's your family?" Ron asked suddenly.

"Mom's always gone one medical emergency after another. Dad goes into the Space Center everyday, he keeps busy. Jim and Tim, they get picked up everyday by some group. They're working on some sort of zero point energy gadget or something. They're very hush, hush about it."

"Oh..." Ron said diverting his eyes from hers.

"How...how's your family?" Kim inquired.

"Good...I think...I...I haven't seen them in a while." He said absently.

Kim nodded, "Good, that's good to hear. When do you get a day off?"

Ron looked at her strangely. He wasn't sure. The days just ran together, one day after another. "I'm, I'm not really sure. Later today or maybe sometime tomorrow, I think."

"Great, that's great Ron. I've got plans for when you have your days off. I figure we can volunteer to help out with the Red Cross, donate blood, that sort of thing." Kim said happily. It wasn't fighting Super Villains but it was something they could to do together.

When was the last time he had slept Ron thought as he mulled Kim's suggestion over in his head. Couldn't she see he was exhausted, couldn't she see he just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a week. He gazed down at the floor as he realized, he no longer had a bed to sleep in.

"Sounds great..." He said trying to sound enthusiastic.

"Great, I'll give you a call..." Kim winced, forgetting there was no longer any form of reliable communication. "I'll check back with you later."

Ron nodded as he watched Kim slowly turn and walk towards the front of the mostly empty store. He fought the urge to run after her. He was tired and up until the moment he never realized how lonely he was. He shook his head, _"No, she's clean...and I smell like a goat."_

Turning Ron pulled the empty pallet into the back of the store. He saw May Bell Jones sitting in the floor crying as he pushed the pallet jack out of the way. Jill Dorries and Gary Aubichon knelt down beside her. Ron walked over to see what had happened. He thought she may have fell or had an accident of some sort.

As he drew closer, he realized her problem, was not unlike his own. The African American woman looked to be in her late 50's. Clad in a new blue house dress with yellow flowers on the front. The dresses had arrived on one of the trucks the day before. She sat in the floor crying. Ron really didn't know her that well except that she worked over in the fabrics department.

May Bell sat on the concrete floor crying, "I don't want to be here no more. I want to go home. But my home is gone. My boys, my boys are dead...DEAD..."

Steve Barkin walked up on the group and took immediate command of the situation. "Break it up, Dorries, Aubuschon, back to work. Stoppable with me."

Ron stepped out of the way to allow his two co-workers to move past him. Mr. Barkin knelt down beside the distraught woman. "May Bell, would you like to go sit in the break room. It looks like you could use a break."

The voice he used was completely new to Ron. He had never in all the time he had known the man to speak so softly. May Bell however was still upset. She shook head, "NO, I want to go home. I'm tired."

Mr. Barkin nodded his head, "OK, May Bell, you can go home. Do you have any people we can call to pick you up?"

The woman's expression brightened. She liked the sound of that idea, "Thank you Steven, I'll just go wait in the locker room while you call my son."

"Stoppable, help me out here." Mr. Barkin said quietly.

Ron knelt down and helped the woman slowly get to her feet. She fussed at them, "I can manage, I can manage, you two need a bath, you both smell to high heaven."

Barkin and Ron both grinned. Mr. Barkin nodded his head, "We'll work on that May Bell."

The woman happily walked towards the break room. Ron whispered to Mr. Barkin, "How are you going to call anyone? There's no phones."

Mr. Barkin rubbed the heavy growth of whiskers on his face and grinned, "I'm not. She hasn't got any immediate family left. No home to return to. If she leaves she probably won't come back. With no family to look after, she could fall through the cracks. I think one of the ladies from Food Services is going to take her in until she can find family or a place of her own. Till then, I'll let her rest as long as I can. She'll perk up."

Ron was almost embarrassed to ask, but he had to anyway, "When...when do you think I can get some time off?"

Barkin chuckled, "Missing Miss Possible are we?"

"Of course and I'd really like to see my family. They've been relocated." Ron informed him.

"Rotate out at midnight. If your parents come into the store let them know."

A flood of relief washed over Ron. He was going to go home. To get out of the human misery that he had been exposed to for, what? Three, four days straight, he couldn't remember how long he'd been working. He smiled as he thought of the fat check he was going to get, then frowned as he realized there was no place to spend it.

"Stoppable, snap out of it, I need you stocking shelves. Now get to it." Barkin said sternly.

Ron turned to leave, and then turned back to his old teacher, "When are you taking off?"

Barkin shrugged, "August, when school starts again." Then he added, "My homes gone too, where am I going to go?"

There was no despair in the man's voice, just the statement of a fact. Ron nodded his head and returned to stocking shelves. He glanced at a clock on the wall it was 5:00. Now he thought, _"Was it AM or PM?"_

**

* * *

**

"Ewwwwwwwww, you guys ate dog food." Myracle said as she wrinkled her nose in disgust.

Both Ron and Monique turned on her. Myracle knew the look, "Sorry, sorry..."

Ron leaned back in the recliner, "I don't think there's a neighbor alive that didn't eat something unpleasant at one time or another."

Both Monique and Ron sat in silence remembering the unpleasant things they had to eat. When there was no food to be had. Eaton could see that he was losing them, so he quickly interrupted their thoughts to change the subject.

"Monique was this before are after you moved in with the Stoppable's?"

"Huh?" Monique said as she realized Eaton was now talking to her, "It was...it was before. When I moved in they had some furniture and some close from some of the charities that were around at the time."

Ron nodded his head in agreement, "It was before. It was before me and dad went to the make shift morgue to find Shawn."

Eaton happy he had them talking again, asked a follow up question, "So what kind of services did you receive from the charities?"

Monique blew out a deep breath, "Well, there was the Red Cross. The Salvation Army came in about a month after the attack. Catholic Charities, the USO..."

"The USO was worthless." Ron said bitterly.

"The JCA..." Monique continued.

"What is the JCA?" Eaton asked.

"Jewish Charities of America" Ron filled in the acronym. "Most of the charities were great. Especially to us since my sister Hana was a toddler. They bent over backwards to make sure the little ones had food and stayed healthy."

"...and toys, don't forget toys." Monique said happily.

"Oh yea, the toys were great. Hana was a little too young for most of them but Monique and I made do." Ron said happily.

Myracle giggled, "You two played with toys?"

"Wasn't anything else to do." Monique said with a grin.

Annie walked into the family room, "Uh oh, dad's holding court again." She said happily as she leaned over and gave her father a peck on the cheek.

"Well what brings out tonight?" Ron smiled as he received his kiss.

"Monique said you were going to be tortured again by that guy." Annie said pointing towards Eaton.

"Ahhhhhhh, moral support." Ron grinned.

"Hi Annie..." Monique said waving from the couch.

Annie grinned, "Sorry, hi, Monique, hi Myracle."

"Hi Annie" The two said in unison.

"Robert and the kids OK?" Ron asked.

Annie rolled her eyes, "They're fine dad, I swear..."

"Just doing my job." Ron reminded her.

"What did I miss?" Annie asked as she took a seat next to Myracle.

Monique frowned, "Big stuff, Eaton made the mistake of questioning Coach Barkin's courage."

Annie's eyes grew large as she looked at the author, "Not a wise thing to do in this household."

"I was only relaying what I heard." Eaton said defensively.

"What you heard was bullshit." Ron said defiantly.

Eaton held up his hands, "You were telling me about the abuse Mr. Barkin was taking."

Ron frowned at Eaton, "Oh yea. I guess I was pretty caught up in my own troubles at the time. I didn't notice how Steve Barkin was always at the back of the store. I found out first hand..."

**

* * *

**

Seven o'clock and Ron had just left his father at the front of the store he was going home at 12:00. He couldn't wait. Couldn't wait to see his mother, baby sister and of course Rufus. It had felt like he had been away from home for months, not merely three days. He walked through the store on a cloud, a daze of happiness.

He strolled to the back of the store and entered the break room. He froze as he saw 4 employees sitting at a table reading old magazines and eating dog food out of a can. Gary Aubuchon looked up as Ron entered, "Want something to eat?"

"Uh..." Ron thought it over. What if he ate the dog food and he found out later his parents had a whole household full of food. He would feel awful. Then again, what if he passed on such a dinning treat only to go home to a house without food in it? He was starving, his stomach had been rumbling all day. He had not eaten since he had the mashed Hostess Snow Balls and part of a squashed loaf of wheat bread. That was what a day or two ago? The answer came to him easily.

"...Yea, OK..." He said uneasily as he walked over to the open box and took out a can of food for man's best friend.

He looked at the dog on the can. _"What kind of dog is that? Cocker Spaniel, No, Golden Retriever. Well the dog looks happy enough. Then again dogs will eat their own vomit..."_

Ron pulled the tab to open the can. What greeted him didn't look so bad, at least not to a starving teenager. Chunks of some kind of meat smothered in a rich gravy sauce. He looked beside the microwave oven and picked up a plastic spoon from a box. He looked it over to make sure it was clean. Then he thought of the ridiculousness of the situation. Here he is worried about the cleanliness of a disposable plastic spoon which he was about to use to scoop dog food into his mouth to eat. He made a face of disgust at the thought.

Watching Ron carefully from the nearest round table, Jill Dorries made note of his face. She tried to lend comfort to the disgusted teen, "It's not too bad once you fight back the gagging reflex."

Nodding his head Ron dug the spoon into the can. Then he stopped and looked at the others, "Do you microwave it first?"

Gary Aubuchon never looked up from his magazine, "It's a matter of taste. It's not much better warm, if that's what you're asking."

Ron lifted his eyebrows. For a moment he could hear his mother telling him to eat his lima beans because there were starving children in China who would love to have them. Now Ron could imagine Chinese mothers telling their rebellious children to finish their egg fu young because there were starving American's eating dog food out of a can with a plastic spoon.

He put off the inevitable no longer. Digging out a large spoonful of dog food he quickly stuffed it into his mouth. He chewed slowly, the thick heavy gravy coating his mouth. Making it sticky, the animal fat from what ever meat was in the dog food, slithered around inside his mouth. Almost as if the meat was still alive. Ron swallowed the revolting substance and then swallowed again. Jill was right about having to fight back the gagging reflex.

Jill who was still watching him grinned, "Yummy"

Shrugging, Ron took another bite, "Reminds me of the cafeteria food at school."

"_What did Wade say it was made of? Oh yea, he didn't..." _He thought as he took another mouthful. Thinking back on it now, Ron could half believe that this was what mystery meat was made from. The taste after all was similar.

Tired of standing Ron sat down at the table opposite of Jill. She was scooping the last of the dog food out of her can. He couldn't help noticing the brown gravy mustache she had over her lip. It reminded him of the old milk commercial, except that her mustache wasn't white but brown. Ron turned away from her. The mustache looked too much like poop for his comfort. Ron thought of the commercials again, _"Got Shit?"_

Biting into something hard, Ron swished the foreign object around in his mouth until he could locate it. Pushing it forward with his tongue he picked it out of his mouth. Looking at it, he discovered it was a bone.

"Watch out for the bones." Gary said absently.

"Thanks for the heads up there Gary." Only able to finish half the can, he stood up to throw the rest away.

Gary Aubuchon looked at him, "You going to finish that?"

Ron handed him the remains of the dog food, "No"

The man grinned happily as he watched Ron leaving the break room, "Hey Stoppable, it could have been worse. It could have been dry dog food."

Ron chuckled and shook his head, _"Well it was filling."_ He thought as he looked at the bill of lading on top of the pallet.

"_Ahhhhhh, 24 toaster ovens._ _Just what people without food need right now." _He mused.

Pulling his box cutter from his pocket he cut the cellophane wrap that was securing the 24 toaster ovens to the pallet. Picking up a box Ron walked it over to his stash of stuff and stacked it neatly. He had told his dad to come around back with the station wagon so he could load up his goodies after work. Doing a quick inventory he was assured he had everything he had pilfered, _"Let's see what we got, toaster oven, 35 inch plasma screen Hi Def television, Blue Ray DVD player, 1 case of goldfish crackers...Hana should enjoy those, 1 case of dog food, 1 case of toilet paper, 1 box of dishes and flatware, 1 case of paper towels, 1 box of condoms...I better leave those here. Don't want to upset mother."_

Returning to his pallet jack, he pulled the pallet through the double doors to a public clamoring for food. The familiar groan greeted him as he made his way to house wares.

"When is the food coming, I need bottled water, my baby needs formula, your hiding stuff for yourself. Is there anymore dog food? Who the hell needs toaster ovens when there's nothing to eat?"

Keeping his mouth shut he pulled the pallet past them. The store was finally starting to fill up with merchandise again. There were plenty of things on the shelves, plenty of everything except of course food. Pulling up to a stop in front of Barkin with his load he sensed a change in the man's temperament. He couldn't put his finger on just exactly what it was, but something had upset the man.

"Where do you want me to put these?"

Barkin grimaced, "Cheese and crackers, are you that helpless? Just find an empty shelf and stock them."

Finding an empty spot of shelving Ron began to stack the toaster ovens. He turned back to Barkin, "Want me to un-box one for a display?"

"Yea, whatever..." Barkin said unenthusiastically.

Ron could hear snickering from a few isles over and moving closer. He paid it no attention. Kids home from summer break and with nothing to do were rampaging around the store. Harmless mostly, just bored kids looking for something to do.

What happened next was indelibly ingrained in Ron's memory. A derisive voice called out. "Hey that bearded fuck is Barkin."

"_Hey Barkin, heard you shit your pants during Graduation..." _

Ron's head shot up from shelves to see who was making fun of his former teacher, turned friend. He recognized the voices immediately, Eric Rudd, Dallas Bennet and Mike Benoit, bullies from D hall.

Ron turned to Steve Barkin, the man said nothing. He just stared at the kids. The kid now recognized Ron and they turned their attention to him. "Hey it's Ron "The Big Pussy" Stoppable." Mike Benoit sneered.

"Hey Stoppable are you trying to grow a beard or is that hair around your mouth just there to remind your boyfriend Barkin of a pussy." Eric Rudd shouted at the top of his lungs for the whole store to hear.

Dallas grinned a toothy, his front teeth a dirty brown from too much tobacco chewing His words both stunned and angered Ron, "My families important, We live next to the Possible's over in Country Club. Since people like you can't get in, Looks like you'll be losing your ride. I'll be riding Kimmie from now on."

The boys laughed, Dallas realizing he now had Ron's full attention pressed home his verbal assault. "Yea, I'll have Kimmie flipped over the hood of my car." Dallas's began to move his pelvis back and forth, the better to deliver more emotional damage to his victim. "I'll have that red headed bitch screamin'..." He raised his voice to a falsetto, "SO MUCH BETTER THAN RON, SO MUCH..."

Dallas never finished his taunt, looking up to see Ron's reaction. He noticed Ron was running straight down the isle towards him, eyes glowing blue. Not understanding the elemental power he had just triggered in the teen, but understanding fully that he had just put himself in harms way. The smile disappeared from his face, only to be replaced by a look of fear. Ron Stoppable didn't fight back. This was new. Fearing he was soon to be losing his life. He turned to flee and ran headlong into Eric Rudd. Both boys fell to the ground, quickly gaining their feet the three boys ran from Ron as fast as they could.

Ron however wasn't pursuing. Steve Barkin had caught Ron by the back of his collar and yanked him backwards. Screaming "LET ME GO!" Ron's twisted against the man's grip.

"STOPPABLE, let's take a walk." He said forcefully pulling back on his collar to emphasize his point.

After a short walk into the backroom, Rom quit squirming. Barkin finally released his grip on him. Releasing his collar he stuck his finger in his face and hissed. "Are you out of your mind Stoppable?"

Ron's face was red, flushed from anger, "You heard what they said. You should have let me go…"

"And that would have helped your family, how?" Barkin said in a low voice.

In his current frame of mind, he couldn't put 2 and 2 together. He couldn't see what Barkin was getting at, "What?"

Barkin let out a deep breath, "Look, I let you go. You get lucky and tear those guys a new one. What do you think will happen next?"

His mind still hadn't engaged. His breathing starting to return to normal, he shook his head, "I don't know what?"

"Best case scenario, I fire you for attacking customers. Worst case scenario, you beat those guys up and get arrested. Now what do you think, dear old Mom Stoppable's going to think of her only baby boy going to jail?" Barkin said quietly, eyes darting around to make sure they weren't overheard.

Ron's mouth fell open. He hadn't thought about that. He nodded his head, "I…I gotcha…"

"No, you don't got me, not quite yet. I fire you. Do you know how many people would be lined up for your position? HR would probably hire one of those little fucks that you just beat up to keep from having a law suit filed against them." Barkin explained his point further.

Never having heard Mr. Barkin curse before, he now commanded Ron's full attention, "I..I..I.."

School of life was now in session and Ron was Steve Barkin's newest pupil. He was learning how life worked from the master. "There are a lot of people that would give their left nut to be where you are right now."

"I…"

"No 'I' in Team Stoppable. This is end of the world shit here, and if you want to stay in this game. You'll have to stop thinking with your dick and start using your head if you're going to be any use to your family at all." Barkin said calmly.

Ron took a deep breath and exhaled, "I gotcha…but the things they said."

Steve Barkin closed his lecture with advice and an admission. "Ignore it. I do, I hear it all the time. Yea, I got scared. While you were out rescuing Miss Possible, I cried like a little girl. I can't explain why, it just happened. Nothing I can do about that now. Just hope by the time school starts they'll forget about that night. If not, there's nothing I can do about it."

The finality and the sadness in his voice took the rest of the fight out of Ron. Right now for better or worse, he was his family's sole means of support. If he failed them, it would not only be embarrassment, but failure could lead to their extinction. Ron tried to say something but he couldn't move his mouth. Barkin could over react at times. After all he did blow a gasket over the stock bots.

But he was right about them. They were instituted as a cost cutting measure to trim staffing. Ron had blown it off. Barkin saw the move for what it was. If the stock bot project had of succeeded odds were better than even he would be on the outside looking in. Barkin was right. This was end of the world shit. They were eating dog food. Food meant for them was being confiscated for the larger cities. If Ron lost this job, who knew what could happen to his family. "Oh man…"

April May a frazzled looking middle age lady from human resources walked up to them. A jolt of fear went through Ron. The guys from D Hall had told on him and she had come to terminate his employment. No, she was crying. Why was she crying?

"Steve, can I talk to you in private?"

Mr. Barkin nodded his head and followed her into the loading docks office. Ron watched the door. He knew he was fired. He hadn't felt this bad since he had thrown the interception in the State Championship game. Except now, lives could be on the line. _"What am I going to do now?"_

The door to the office opened. April May the HR manager walked quickly away and Steve Barkin walked directly towards Ron. "No…No…No..." Ron kept repeating as he awaited the verdict he knew was coming.

"They found Mr. Stockwell's body. I'm acting manager. I have to write a condolence letter to his kin. Get back to work." Barkin said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Get back to work…I'm in command now." Barkin said confidently.

"Yes sir…" Ron said as he ran for the front of the store.

His knees still weak from the fear of losing his job, Ron made his way out to the floor. Then his mind started to work, _"Barkin and Bennet both think both me and Kim are having sex."_

He grinned as reached his pallet of toaster ovens. Not that the idea of having sex with his best friend girl friend wasn't out of the realm of possibility. After all they had skirted the issue in talks many times. Had come close to actually doing it twice, at the last second Kim would always get cold feet. Ron being the dutiful boyfriend would always back away. Still they had been dating for over a year now. Sex was the next logical step in a relationship, wasn't it? If they were ever going to have sex it would have to be soon. College would be starting soon. Kim would be leaving.

Ron thought of his stash in the back he had placed an entire box of condoms there. Wishful thinking on his part probably, but still Kim would be leaving for college. That was a fact. He wished he could go with her. Out of the 4,385 colleges he had applied to, 1,802 had sent rejection letters. No acceptance letters arrived in his mailbox. Ron sighed. He would be going to MAC, Middleton Area College, a junior college. If it opened at all, he hadn't any idea about what kind of damage the campus sustained.

Doing the mindless labor of stocking a shelf, Ron was starting to feel very sad and isolated. Not even being a star football player had generated any interest from any of the schools he applied to.

There was the one courtesy visit from Mike Clemmens. He was a recruiter from the University of Wyoming. He couldn't offer Ron much. His SAT scores were too low and his 2.016 grade point average made him a high risk recruit. Since the NCAA proposition 48, a student athlete had to maintain a 2.0 grade point average in order to be eligible to play football.

Ron's GPA of 2.016 was too risky for any major university to take a chance on tendering him a scholarship. So if Ron really wanted to play college football for the Cowboys, he would have to go JUCO. Spend two years playing football for a junior college such as MAC. Then he could try out as a walk on in Wyoming. If he was good enough, they could maybe, just maybe tender him a scholarship.

Pushing the last box into place, it was time to head into the back for more stock. Thanks to his lackadaisical school record, he was stuck in Middleton. If it wouldn't have been for Mr. Barkin, odds are pretty good he wouldn't have graduated at all.

While Kim on the other hand, well his best friend girlfriend, could write her own ticket. Kim would go on to do great things. Meet wonderful and intelligent new people. Fall in love with one, marry and have a family, a good life. Ron on the other hand would be stuck, stocking shelves at a Smarty Mart in Middleton, Colorado having only memories of a love that once was.

The thoughts kept coming to him. He was anxious, not clear about what the future held. It was graduation all over again. Fear of an uncertain future. After all Kim might decide to stay in Middleton. All might not be lost she might attend classes at MAC with him. Help him with his grades. It would be just like high school only better.

No, no, it would not be him that stood in Kim's way of a better life. He wouldn't let his own petty desires ruin his friend's life. Life around Middleton was going to hard, hard for many years to come. He couldn't ask her to stay with him. Rob her of an opportunity of a promising life. One thing was now certain in Ron's mind. He would not be the one that drags Kim Possible down, and away from the stars.

Shoving the pallet jack under the next pallet, a little more violently than he would have liked. Ron looked around to see if anyone else had noticed. No one paid any attention. Ron pursed his lips and tried to bring his breathing under control. He was feeling sick to his stomach. _"Was it the dog food or the stress of not knowing?"_ He wondered.

**

* * *

**

Ron took a long drink from the bottle of water. The memories of past events from his memory that would be forever frozen in time were making him, sad, unhappy and angry all at the same time. Eaton was asking a question. Ron was ignoring him. Not because he was angry with him. He just didn't want to answer it just yet.

Annie was on another long rant about how she and Allison were screwed up because they're mother abandoned them and never loved them. It was a long and tiring rant that he had grown sick of hearing over the years.

Kim loved her girls. Ron knew this. He knew the truth about why they had been so unceremoniously deposited at his feet. Out of deference to Kim he never discussed it. Not even with Monique. It was nobody else's business what went on between Kim and himself. Some information was too private and too painful to make public or to be shared with anyone.

If Annie kept up her diatribes much longer, he knew he would lose patients and dump the burden that he carried squarely on her shoulders. Then she could decide if her mother was really as bad as all that. See if she'd have the mental courage to walk a mile in her mother's shoes.

"So you're saying Steve Barkin really wasn't a coward because of the deeds he performed after the attack?" Eaton tried once again to regain Ron's attention.

"Yea, I guess so..." Ron said wearily.

Monique recognized the drop in Ron's energy. He was tired, and tomorrow he would have to start work on next week's game plan. He would have to organize the team workouts, prepare the travel arrangements. So the Hurricanes to engage in the grid iron battle with Boston College the following week. "It's after 10. I think it's time to call it a night."

Eaton held up a finger to gain another moment of time with Coach Stoppable, "You know, your stories are compelling but around Middleton they may not convince the hardcore Barkin haters that still live in the area."

Ron's expression didn't change, nor the tone or level of his voice as he explained his feelings on those people in Middleton. "Fuck em'"

"Ah yes, well...Any other information on Steve Barkin you'd like to add?" Eaton asked hoping for more time or another good story about back in the bad old days.

In a flat voice Ron responded to the question, "Steve Barkin was a resident."

Monique gasped, "NO WAY!"

Ron nodded, "Yep, he was a resident who wouldn't play the game."

Eaton's interest perked up. He had been waiting for this moment. To find out how people were segregated into classes. Social engineering gone horribly wrong, The Federal Governments attempt to maintain stability by dividing the citizenry into two groups. Essential personnel and non essential personnel, essential personnel were people deemed important and indispensable to the maintaining of a structured society. Non essential personnel were everyone else.

After hurricane Katrina, FEMA came to the conclusion that Federal Agencies simply could not respond to catastrophic disasters in a timely fashion. FEMA in an effort to find a solution to the problem of response, commissioned a study. The study was conducted by three Universities. Harvard University, University California at Berkley and the University of Michigan were to study the needs of a large populace during an catastrophic emergency and then to formulate an action plan to be implemented within 48 hours after the disaster.

The study determined that a foundation was needed on a local level for rapid response to emergencies. The plan was unfinished at the time of the Lowardian attack so elements that were deemed most appropriate for the situation were rushed into place. The study provided for a small local citizenry to govern, rebuild, and provide essential emergency services for the larger local populace.

In an ideal society the system was workable. Unfortunately Middleton and the other affected regions were far from perfect societies. The study didn't factor in the darker side of human nature. The stealing of property, suspension of constitutional rights, rape, murder as well as countless degradations were routinely carried out in the name of restoring the societal order. The plan known as FEMA Study 111-80-1086 led to the destruction of many of the local communities it had sought to save.

The plan called for the Census Bureau to supply FEMA with data on the occupations of the residents living in the affected regions of the attack. FEMA arraigned emergency housing accordingly. Those that held occupations that were deemed essential, such as local government, doctors, lawyers, leading education professionals and specialty technical people were to receive unlimited resources in order to rebuild the community's infrastructure.

Those that did not fall into the specified skill sets, such as stock boys for Smarty Mart, assembly line workers, actuaries, insurance sales people, etcetera would receive basic humanitarian aide until the local infrastructure could be rebuilt and the community could then provide for common welfare for all.

Good intentions or not, the plan only created two groups of desperate people. The societal fabric was torn asunder as people who had known one another for many years, were now split into two camps. Those that were designated essential lived in gated residential communities. Those designated as non essential were relocated into basic communities known as neighborhoods.

The Government created two social groups that would forever be simply known as Residents and Neighbors. Studies would be commissioned for years to come, all using FEMA Study 111-80-1086 as guide lines for how not to handle an emergency crisis. Future Government studies would also be conducted on ways to repair the damage that study, 1086 could be repaired and the society it impacted healed.

In the 40 years after the attack, the scars of the aftermath still ran deep. Ron and Monique Stoppable shared a pain and a joint hatred of all things Resident. In his mind he knew it was wrong, but deep down Ron knew how to heal the deep psychological scars of the neighbors. His plan was a simple one, kill all the residents. In other words revenge, unfortunately for Ron, he knew that the hoisting of the pirate flag and slitting of throats was not likely to happen in his life time.

So he had done the next best thing. In the preceding 40 years after the attack he had purchased many of the lots from the old neighborhood, sued anyone who was a Resident back then that smelled official, and in general, wreaked legal havoc on all those that had wronged him or his loved ones.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to get around to 1086?" Eaton said as he leaned forward for the anticipated story.

"What do you mean he was a resident?" Monique spat bitterly.

Ron grinned, "He was slated to be moved into Country Club. He never left Smarty Mart until the end of the summer and then only to begin working on course outlines for the coming school year. Then he moved into Middleton High School. He stayed between the school and the store until the old Rosemont Apartments were reopened."

"Why didn't he move into Country Club?" Eaton asked.

"At first, I think he was like me, working as much as he could for the money. A few years later he told me he figured out what was going to happen rather quickly. Our friends from the residential communities would come into the store and…ah…" Ron shook his head as he tried to think of how to explain what happened without resorting to profanities. "…ah…make life unpleasant."

"Did you notice the changes at first?" Eaton asked.

Ron thought it over, "Not at first, there were buzz words that I kept hearing from the Residents, 'Essential Personnel, VIP, Governing Control. I began to notice the shift in attitude first. The way they would turn their noses up at you, the way they would talk down to you, the way they would always lorded it over you, the way they were always clean and well fed..."

Monique sensing Ron was working into another tirade rose from the couch and said, "I think we've heard enough for one night."

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Ron agreed. "Yea, I have to get up early tomorrow."

"Is there a time I can come back? The whole Resident and Neighbors thing fascinates me. It's so much like the civil war, except the participants are still living." Eaton explained.

Myracle shook her head, "It's going to be tough…" She lowered her voice for dramatic effect, "…Because tomorrow daddy unleashes the monster that is known as University of Miami Hurricane Football tomorrow."

Eaton was excited as he peppered questions at Ron as he gathered his things together, "Were you part of one of the neighborhood gangs?"

"Yes" Ron said evenly.

"Did you have a gun?"

"Yes"

"Did you ever shoot anyone?"

"There was a long silence, as Ron thought his answer over carefully, "I shot the gun..."

"So you were in on the fighting between camps?"

A look of horror crossed Ron's face, "Camps? I never lived in a camp..."

Eaton looked at Monique who looked uneasily at him. He knew he offended Ron but wasn't sure what it was he said. Monique quickly covered his gaffe, "I'll show you to the door, Mr. Trendle."

Ron said loudly enough to be heard over into the hallway as Monique quickly escorted the man to the door, "I LIVED IN A NEIGHBORHOOD!"

Monique said in a stern voice, "Don't ever call the neighborhoods camps in front of my husband. He's touchy, the whole Nazi Concentration Camp thing..."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh" Eaton said suddenly understanding what he said wrong.

"You got Ron's Jewish sensibilities in an uproar. Now I have to calm him down." Monique complained.

"I should have thought about that, sorry." Eaton apologized. He was mentally kicking himself for his poor choice of words.

Knowing her husband all too well, Monique explained how she was going to take his mind off of the verbal gaffe. "He's pretty tired. I'll get him calmed down. I'll talk dirty to him or something tonight. By tomorrow he'll have forgotten all about it."

Eaton was eager to find out more about the past. He had heard stories second hand, mostly about the Doe Run neighborhood. He had to try for another appointment. "So when do you think I can get another interview session?"

Monique thought it over. She didn't exactly enjoy reliving the past but she noticed Myracle and Annie seemed particularly interested. She and Ron never talked about those days very often around the kids. The only time that she could remember Ron saying anything about those days in front of the kids was when he sued Jim and Tim after they shut off all the utilities at their house twenty years ago.

Even then what was said wasn't very useful and made very little sense to anyone except her. The only thing the kids took away was learning all sorts of new profanities. She sighed, "Ron has to get the team ready for a road trip for the next game. We have to go to Boston for the last regular season game. Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. He gives the team the day off before we travel. Come over for Thanksgiving dinner."

Reaching the door Eaton turned, "What time should, I be here?"

"If you can get here early, you might be able to go with him to the annual Hebrew Turkey Day Bowl. He goes every year since he organized it back..." She tried to remember, "...A long time ago."

Eaton laughed, "I'll try to get here early, nine o'clock sound good?"

"Perfect, he usually takes off around 9:30 or 10:00."

A grateful Eaton Trendle said his goodbyes for the evening, "Great, thanks for putting up with me. I know what we talk about isn't your favorite topic."

**

* * *

A/N: Next Chapter, just exactly what did happen to Kim and Ron?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry for not responding to any reviews just yet. I am currently on a computer that is on dial up. I hope you enjoy the latest chapter. Next up should be a new chapter of Ronnie Diamond, the Knights of Zion.**

**Bubba**

* * *

Eaton Trendle had left the room but Ron was still grumbling. His verbal gaffe of referring to the FEMA Neighborhoods as camps rankled him. Now that Eaton was being escorted to the door by Monique, Ron's only audience was his daughters, Myracle and Annie. 

"We lived in neighborhoods not camps. There was no barbed wire strung around the place, no gas chambers, no armed guards..."

Annie frowned, "So mother lived in Country Club. Figures she'd be a resident."

"Your mother wasn't around long enough to be a resident." Ron grumbled still thinking of the verbal slight.

Myracle was trying to understand exactly what Eaton said that had caused her father to get so upset. "So the people who were known as residents were like the Nazi's?"

"No, they weren't like the Nazi's. They weren't motivated by racial purity. They were more like the Roman's. They were to be our, conquers. They ruled over us, with the help of their lap dogs the Colorado National Guard." Ron said bitterly.

Monique entered the room, "I told Eaton he could come back on Thursday. I told him if he got here early enough he could go with you to the football game."

Ron groaned, "I don't want to go with him. I want to go with you."

"Oh no, I'm going to be cooking." Monique reminded him.

Annie smiled, she knew Monique didn't want to go to the game but enjoyed torturing her anyway, "Cheyenne and I can cook, go to the game with dad."

Monique frowned, "No, that's OK, I'll cook..."

"She doesn't want to watch a game with me." Ron said with a grin.

"I don't mind watching with you. But you just can't watch, you go to the back and start pacing around yelling out plays. It's hard enough to coach your own team but you try to coach teams you having nothing to do with." Monique complained.

Ron started to protest, "I do not try and coach..."

Myracle laughed, "Yes you do, you can't even watch a game on TV without pacing around the family room."

"Ahhhhhhh" Ron said as he waved a hand at his daughter.

Annie grinned, "Didn't you get into trouble when you played for calling a time out in a championship game or something?"

"NO..."

Monique laughed, "Yea...back in 25 when you were with the Redskins. Oh you and Coach Phillips did some screaming at one another."

He frowned at his wife, "He wasn't managing the clock. There was a fight on the field and we were driving with less than two minutes left and they were letting the clock run..."

The girls were laughing as they realized their mother was right. Monique laughed, "You called the final timeout and Coach Phillips ran out onto the field screaming at you. Your father was screaming at the coach, and then they both started screaming at the referee."

Ron shook his head, "They should have called a timeout when the fight broke out but they forgot. They did put the time back on the clock and didn't count the timeout."

Monique sat down on the couch, "So your father scores the winning touchdown, games over and he and Coach Phillips are still screaming at one another..."

Laughing Ron finished the story, "Coach Phillips screams at me, 'Who the hell's coaching this team?' and I said apparently I AM!"

"Coach Phillips said you needed to get your ass back to coaching." Monique said with a laugh.

"I never should have played that last season. Training camp nearly killed me. I was...35 then?" Ron said shaking his head.

Monique frowned, "You were only supposed to be the running backs coach, but oh no, you had to play..."

Ron shrugged, "My last hurrah..."

Annie frowned, and then looked up, "What was mom like back then? Why is she such an evil bitch?"

"Your mother is not a bitch, and she is not evil. You need to cut her a break. She's had a hard life." Ron said wearily.

Annie's temper flared, "That's what you always say. Mom screws me and Allison up and all you can say is..."

"THAT'S ENOUGH...You and Allison are not screwed up. Any little thing goes wrong in your life you blame your mother. It's not always her fault..."

"SCREW THAT! Mom always fucks everything up..." She turned to Monique for support, "...tell him I'm right Monique."

"Don't drag me into this." Monique said raising both hands to beg out of the argument.

"You know nothing...nothing of your mother. Now that is her fault. Your mother's a good person."

Annie rolled her eyes, "Well why not tell me where she went haywire then? Why does she always have to be such a hard ass?"

Ron sat in his recliner weighing it out in his mind. He never told anyone the story before of exactly what had happened all those years ago. It was too awful to think about. One of the most horrible memories he had of those horrible times. He thought about just standing up and going to bed. Even though he was tired, he was tired of the constant sniping from Annie. The never ending mother bashing that at times could be maddening.

"Your mother wasn't always the way she is..." He said quietly looking over towards Monique.

Monique shook her head, "No, no...She used to be a good caring person. She was my best friend, girl friend in high school."

"Well what screwed her up then?" Annie asked bitterly.

Taking a deep breath, Ron looked over to Myracle, "School day tomorrow."

"I'm off, pink eye..." She said clearly not ready to leave the room.

Closing his eyes he nodded, "Oh yea...Well you remember me telling Mr. Trendle about your mother's visit to Smarty Mart, right?"

Annie nodded, "Must have been before I got here."

Monique eased forward on the couch. She had never heard the story. Ron had alluded to it on many occasions over the years but he would never go into any great detail about the events of those early days after the attack, "I remember..."

"Well, your mother came into the store to tell me that she had been relocated. I gave her my new address and we agreed to meet the next day, when I had some time off. Or she was just going to check and see when I was off...I think she just dropped by the trailer...or something..." Ron said as he tried to remember the exact circumstances of the life changing event.

**

* * *

**

Kim Possible rolled to a stop in front of the Stoppable residence. The Stoppable's station wagon was gone, so she didn't know if anyone was home or not as she exited the vehicle. She set the anti theft deterrent that was installed by her brothers Jim and Tim in the highly modified Roth SL she drove.

She walked towards the front door. She was nervous and she didn't know why. After all the Stoppable's and Possible's had been friends forever. Things just seemed different now somehow. The Possible's were relocated to Country Club Meadows, while the Stoppable's were placed in Pheasant Ridge.

The Stoppable's mobile home still hadn't had the plastic skirting around the bottom of the home to hide the wheels. That must be what was bothering her. She looked at the mobile home and shook her head again. No, that wasn't it. It was that the Possible's mobile home was so much bigger than the one she stood in front of.

Kim shook off the thought and attributed it to nerves. Climbing the wrought iron steps to the front door she knocked, secretly hoping there would be no answer. She heard Mrs. Stoppable call out from behind the door, _"Just a minute."_

She could hear the sound of a deadbolt lock being turned before the door opened. Mrs. Stoppable stood in the doorway. She looked harried but otherwise healthy. Kim smiled, "Hi Mrs. Stoppable is Ron home?"

"No, no he and his father left early this morning. They should be back soon if you'd like to come in and wait for them." Mrs. Stoppable said as she stepped back from the door.

Entering the home Kim noticed the lack of furnishings. Strange she thought they're home came fully furnished. Mrs. Stoppable was waving her back towards the kitchen, "I'm still putting up stuff Ronnie brought home last night."

Mrs. Stoppable took notice of Kim's new outfit as she walked in the door, "Oh that's a cute outfit. What charity did you get it from?"

Kim answered as she looked around the mobile home, "It's new, I think..."

Looking perplexed Mrs. Stoppable showed Kim to the kitchen as she tried to think of what store could be open where Kim could have bought the outfit from. She winced at the condition the kitchen was in as they entered it. "Sorry about the mess, I'm still organizing things."

"Oh it's no problem, really..." She said as she followed the older woman into the kitchen Kim spotted Hana as she sat on the floor rolling a can of dog food around. Grinning Kim pointed to the toddler, "You guys get a dog?"

The smile froze on Mrs. Stoppable's face, "No...no...uh...Ronnie brought it home by mistake...yes that's it..." She said uneasily as she bent down and quickly seized the can from her daughter, then hid it away in the cabinet under the sink.

"Oh..." Kim mumbled, as she got the distinct feeling she had made an error of etiquette.

"Ronnie brought home some really great stuff from work. I don't know what we'd do for kitchen utensils if it wasn't for him..." Mrs. Stoppable said nervously as she tried to strike a pleasant tone.

"What time did he get off last night?" Kim asked absently as she looked around the kitchen.

"He and his father got home around one this morning."

Kim spotted a familiar face, "Rufus, how ya doing boy?"

"_Hnk Hungry"_ The mole rat answered sadly as he sat next to Hana.

"Oh where are my manners. We have a few MRE's from the Red Cross left, some jars of baby food, Goldfish crackers that Ronnie brought home, bottled water. Can I get you anything?" Mrs. Stoppable asked.

"No, no, that's OK." Kim answered feeling awkward. She looked around the modest home, _"We've got food, why don't they?"_

The sound of the Stoppable's station wagon pulling up caught Kim's attention. "Sounds like they're back."

Mrs. Stoppable nodded, "I hope they were able to bring some food home with them."

They both walked outside to meet the men. Kim smiled when she saw Ron. He looked like he had some sleep, a shower and a shave since she saw him last. She ran to him and hugged him. She took note of his new clothes, "Interesting clothing choices."

Ron clad in a pair of red converse high top basket ball shoes, beige Dockers pants and a faded Denver Bronco's t-shirt that his mother had picked out for him from a collection point that one the area charities had sat up. He returned the hug less than enthusiastically. Kim pulled back, "What's wrong?"

Mr. Stoppable took his wife by the arm, "Connie, I need to see you inside." He said quietly before leading her away.

Kim had the unmistakable feeling that something bad had just happened, "Ron, what's going on?"

A loud wail came from inside the home that made Kim jump.

"_Noooooooooooooooo..."_

"Ron what's happened?" Kim asked again.

"We just got back from one of the temporary morgues, one of the...body farms." Ron bitterly said the phrase he had heard used at the makeshift morgue in a farmer's field.

"Oh no..." Kim said quietly.

Ron nodded his head, "Dad found my cousin Ruben and his wife. I found Cousin Shawn..."

There was no mistaking the hollowness of Ron's voice as Kim took him into her arms, "I'm so sorry Ron."

Ron returned the hug. Hearing his mother continue to sob, he broke the embrace, "I need to get out of here for a while."

Kim understood exactly what he meant, "Sure...uh...I was thinking we could go hang out at the Red Cross or something..."

"Sounds good..."

She deactivated the anti theft system on the Roth SL and unlocked the doors. She watched Ron get into the car. He was moving like a zombie. Kim slid in behind the driver's seat, "You get much sleep last night?"

He nodded his head that he had.

Kim backed the car out of the makeshift driveway, "I see you were able to clean up."

"I won't be able to shower again until Saturday." Ron said absently.

"Oh, why?" Kim asked obviously mystified by the comment.

"Water rationing, something about the well and the water table..." He answered.

Kim narrowed her eyes as she thought if they had been told to ration water or not. She didn't believe they had, "So...what do you want to do today."

Thinking about it for a long moment Ron answered, "Something that doesn't involve looking at dead bodies or unloading trucks."

Driving through the remnants of the destroyed downtown shopping district, Ron pointed to the destroyed business to Kim's left, "Hard to believe my mom's office was just over there."

Kim nodded her head, "Yea, mom says it will be months before they get all the bodies removed from the debris of the hospital."

Middleton Regional Medical Center had collapsed during the Lawardian attack. Each floor collapsing upon the next until all 18 floors had settled to ground, crushing 100's of people underneath the concrete and steel structure.

She went out of her way not to drive by the destroyed building. It was nothing either of them wanted to see. Remembering her big news she suddenly brightened, "Oh, I decided I'm going to go study law at Cambridge University in England."

Ron's mouth fell open. The shock of Kim finally choosing a school and one so far away left him momentarily speechless. Upon finding his voice Ron tried to sound pleased with her decision, "That...that's great...that's...overseas..."

Kim grinned, "Yea, I got accepted to every school I applied to. It was tough making the choice. So did you get accepted to Cambridge too?"

He had applied to Cambridge and every school Kim had applied to. Unfortunately for Ron all had rejected him, "Uh...no..."

Frowning Kim asked, "So where are you going to school then?"

Looking out the window, he wasn't sure what to say. If he told the truth, Kim might not go to England, or worse she would go anyway. The only thing Ron could think to do was lie. He hated lying, but the truth was so disappointing. Taking a deep breath Ron told a lie that he had desperately wanted to come true. "I'm going to the University of Wyoming on a football scholarship."

Kim's expression brightened, "Well that's pretty cool."

"Yea, pretty cool..." Ron said sadly.

"We can still be a couple. The distance shouldn't be a problem." Kim said reading Ron's response as if he were worried about their relationship.

"Yea...Kim, have you...have you ever...you know thought about..." Ron wanted to ask about sex. He wanted to make love to his girlfriend but was now more afraid then ever. She would be leaving in a few months. What if she didn't want to go any further than what they had already gone, "Never mind..." He said quickly.

Kim understood what he was thinking, she too was thinking about the same thing. The time they had together was limited and she felt the urge for the shared intimacy. For the moment though she just didn't know what to say, "There's a time and place for everything Ron."

"_Now what is that supposed to mean?"_ He thought.

The two rode in awkward silence until a very large tent appeared on the horizon. The Red Cross emergency relief center grew larger in the windshield of Kim's car. It was the first time that Ron had ever seen the place. The tent that housed the center was bigger than any circus tent Ron had ever seen. Emergency vehicles were parked around the circumference of the tent. National Guard Humvees came and went from a separate tent behind the Red Cross tent. Ron could clearly see the entire facility as they drew closer. "Looks like there's a lot going on here..."

"Central emergency distribution center for the whole Tri-County Region." Kim told him.

"Wow" Ron said in wonderment. The thought crossed his mind that maybe just maybe everything would soon return to a semblance of normalcy. That soon the Red Cross would be able to feed and clothe everyone and all would be well.

Finding a place to park in the disorganized mess was a bit challenging, Kim finally gave up and parked far away from the tents so as not to get blocked in or block anyone else in. The two walked towards the tents, noting the long lines that were staggered around various tables under the tent. Kim leaned over and whispered to Ron, "I think that is where you go to be transported out."

Ron shook his head, "Out where?"

"Boulder, I think." She answered.

Why Boulder? Ron had thought. They had to be about as bad off as they were if not worse. Still he thought the Government agencies and charities must know what they're doing. Looking at a line he saw a sign above one of the tables where a line had formed, "Hey Pheasant Ridge, that's where we are." Ron said to Kim as he pointed out the table to her.

"_Hey Ron"_

Turning to the voice, Ron spotted David Franks. A young man he knew from the Temple, "Hey Dave"

He waved Ron over to him. Kim followed until David warned her off, "I only want to talk to Ron."

Kim raised an eyebrow, "Oh..."

Ron walked over to him, "What?"

"Are you going to be home for a while?" David asked quietly as he looked around to see if anyone was observing their conversation.

Shrugging Ron said, "I don't go back into work until midnight."

"I know where you live. I'll be in touch." He said quietly.

Walking back over to Kim, he shrugged when the natural question of, 'what did he want?' arose.

The two walked closer to the table everyone was waiting in line for. Ron read a sign, "Food Allotment, think I should get in line?"

Kim shrugged, "I don't know?"

"_It's you...Your the one that brought this on us."_

Not understanding that the voice was directed at them, Ron pointed towards another table underneath a sign that read 'Volunteers', "I think we go over there."

"Let's check it out." Kim said nodding her head in agreement.

Ron wrinkled his nose at an extremely unpleasant odor, "You smell that?"

The source of Ron's smell was now upon them. _"YOUR FAULT..."_

Ron and Kim looked to one another. Not sure if the voice was talking to them or not. Suddenly a hand gripped Kim by the shoulder and turned her around. A dirty disheveled young woman in tattered clothing holding an infant stood in front of her.

The woman had a crazed look in her eye as she screamed at Kim, "IT'S YOUR FAULT THEY CAME. YOUR FAULT, YOU JUST HAD TO BRING THEM HERE!'

Kim shook her head, "What?"

Ron stepped in between Kim and the woman, "Hey now, wait just a minute..."

"THEY CAME HERE FOR YOU!" The woman screamed again pointing past Ron to Kim.

"No..." Kim said defensively.

The woman dropped the blanked around the infant to reveal a half charred body of a baby that had long since died. Both Kim and Ron gasped as the woman began shaking the dead infant in Kim's face by the leg, "SEE WHAT YOU DID TO MY BABY! MY BABIES DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!" She screamed in an insane rage.

Shaking the charred remains at the two teens the woman continued to scream unintelligible statements brought on by insanity. The flesh from the infant's leg having been cooked and charred peeled away from the bone as the woman shook the infant. With a sickening tearing noise the leg separated from the body. The charred body fell unceremoniously to the ground with a sickening wet plop.

The woman screamed in horror, Kim screamed in horror, Ron screamed in horror. A crowd was now around the three of them. Ron's mind was a muddled mass of confusion as he couldn't pull his eyes away from the charred infant lying on the ground.

Another voice came from the crowd. The voice of an angry man, "She's right this is Team Possible's fault."

"_Yea, they caused this..." _

Someone slapped Ron in the head. The slap broke Ron's gaze from the dead infant and brought him back to reality. These people were out for blood. Ron grabbed Kim by the arm, "RUN!"

The two teens ran from the tent. Ron looked back over his shoulder to see that a small group of people were pursing them. He turned to look forward. He screamed at Kim again, "KEEP RUNNING!"

He had no idea how long they had run or how far they had run before they're pursers finally gave up the chase. They both had stitches in their said as they pulled up in a field some distance away from where they had originally started. Kim was pale as she gasped for breath.

It took sometime for the pain in their sides to subside. The wind slowly returned to them as their breathing returned to normal. Kim kept shaking her head back and forth, "...Ro...Ron...RON!"

"I'm here, I'm here..." He said breathlessly.

"It's all my fault. All my fault..."

Ron shook his head vigorously, "NO, no it isn't Kim..."

Kim's eyes were a mixture of horror and confusion, "Yes it is..."

"Kim..." Ron still short of breath, tried once again to tell her it wasn't her fault.

She never gave him the chance as she fell to her knees, tears running down her face, "I tried, I tried to stop them..."

Ron fell to his knees and embraced his girlfriend. This was a totally new experience for him. He had seen Kim cry before but had never been the one to have to comfort her. She had always comforted him in the past. Taking her in his arms he did what he could to make her feel better. Holding her tight, he rubbed her back, "It was not your fault. That woman was just..." "_Just what?"_ Ron thought. "...crazy..." He finally said coming up with the only word he could think of to describe the woman.

"It is my fault. I should have stuck to babysitting..." Kim whimpered into Ron's chest.

He tried to remind Kim of just who's fault it was, "No, no, no, this is not your fault. It was the Lawardian's. It was their fault."

Kim nodded her head as she pulled away from Ron's embrace, "Yea...their fault...Sorry Ron...If you don't mind...I just want to go home now."

Looking into Kim's pale tear streak face, he nodded, "OK...I'd kind of like to get back home too."

**

* * *

**

"Oh my God, no wonder you never talk about it." Monique gasped.

Ron was pale, he didn't like thinking about that day much less talking about it. "Kim never did leave home very often after that."

Myracle had her hand over her mouth, "That's awful..."

Annie was shaken by the story but still clung stubbornly to her prejudices, "That...that...doesn't explain anything." She said shakily.

Ron flew from his recliner and crossed the family room in less time then it took to bat an eye. He got right up in Allison's face and acted like he was shaking a dead baby, "You don't think having some woman shaking a dead baby in your face would make a change in your life?"

"I...I...I..." Annie Stammered.

Ron leaned over his daughter and screamed. "WE WERE 18, 18 YEARS OLD!"

Annie's shoulders slumped, "I never knew..."

Running a hand over his bald head, Ron lowered his voice, 'Your mother was never the same after that. I was never the same after that day. So when I tell you to cut your mother a break...I mean cut your mother a break."

It was late and Annie had to go home. She now had some information she had never had before about her mother and it had visibly shaken her emotionally. Ron noticed the difference as she stood shakily to her feet. Ron walked his daughter to the door, "Now you know what happened. Now you know..."

Annie nodded her head, "I had no idea..."

He hugged his daughter, "You be careful driving home."

"I'll see you for Thanksgiving...Tell Monique I'm still going to help her cook." She said her spirits brightening.

Watching his daughter back out of the driveway, he let out a deep breath. _"Now if I could just get Kim to stop blaming herself."_

Turning he saw Myracle waiting for him, "Bedtime..."

"Daddy, why did everyone blame her for what happened?"

Ron chuckled, "I've been asking myself that question for years now. As best as I can figure, it's sort of like being a football coach. Everyone praises you when you win, but if you lose, even one time, then you will get blamed for all the ills of the world. So, since Kim was the leader of Team Possible, she got the credit when things went well and all the blame for when they didn't."

"But that's not right."

Chuckling Ron put his arm around his daughter's shoulders as they walked to one of the twin staircases to the 2nd floor bedrooms, "No, no it's not. When we were under that tent there were so many desperate people looking for answers, and blaming Kim seemed like a reasonable thing to do."

"Do you think Kim still blames herself for what happened?"

Ron stopped halfway up the staircase, "Yes, yes she does. No matter how many times I've told her over the years, she still blames herself."

"Move it you two, I want to go to bed." Monique said from behind them.

"Ahhhhhhhhh, hold your horses." Ron said as he continued slowly up the stairs. His progress had been slowed by a case of arthritic knees. He had spent too many years taking hits on the football field and now in his old age it had caught up to him.

Myracle kissed her father good night and quickly went into her bedroom to go to bed. Monique followed Ron into their bedroom. There was one more story she had never heard and thought tonight would be a good night for it. "As long as you're telling deep dark secrets, how about you tell me about when you and Kim first did it?"

Ron frowned at his wife, "I have to get up early tomorrow."

Monique wasn't to be denied the story, "I figured after such an awful memory, you'd want to go to sleep on a pleasant one."

"There were no pleasant memories from back then?" Ron grumbled as he took off his clothes.

She bristled, "Not even with me?"

Looking up Ron thought it over, "Truth be told...I think my memories of you are the only good ones from back then."

Smiling Monique put a hand on his arm, "Tell me..."

Thinking it over Ron sat on the edge of the bed they shared. He had known enough about women to know that you don't talk about making love to other women in front of them. Jealousies arise and create tension and problems that Ron just felt he didn't have the energy to face.

"I won't get upset, I promise." Monique said as if she were reading his mind.

Ron nodded his head, "OK, then...I...I remember it was a Tuesday..."

**

* * *

**

It had been nearly three weeks since Ron had last seen Kim. Work and a lack of communication equipment had all conspired to keep the couple separated. Now on his day off and a shower day in the neighborhood he felt he could now head out to where Kim was living and to make sure she was alright.

After the incident at the Red Cross tent he had been worried about her. The trip back to his new home had been a long one. Kim alternately stopping to bawl her eyes out or she would just zone out and miss turns. Hugging her and telling her the burned baby and the Lawardian attack had not been her fault, did not seem to do any good.

Much had happened in the three weeks since he had last seen her. The Stoppable family had acquired a new member when Monique Williams moved into their home. Ron's mother was not wild about the idea of adding another mouth to feed, plus that mouth belonging to a girl that was Ron's age made the bunking and bathroom arrangements rather interesting.

Ron didn't have time to pay attention to internal family politics. All he knew was that upon returning home from work one night, he found out that Monique had become Hana's new room mate and nanny. Ron found the situation agreeable but he was totally fixated on the well being of his best friend, girl friend to take much notice. This was now the reason he was riding on a shuttle bus to Country Club Meadows on Tuesday, July 10, 2007. This would be a date that would forever hold a place in his heart.

Life was slowly gaining a sense of normality. Smarty Mart was beginning to stock a limited amount of food. Meat, eggs, bread and milk were still rationed. Ron was still working a tremendous amount of hours training new hires. Things were beginning to look up for him, even if he wasn't going to go away to college.

Ron woke up early in the morning and dressed up in new clothes he had bought from Smarty Mart just for this trip to Kim's. He wore new pants, a red golf shirt, and a pair of Nike high top basketball shoes. He looked in his mind rather dashing, not having had a haircut for some time his blonde locks were now past his collar.

Watching the scenery go by he noted the return of traffic to the roads. Most of the vehicles were trucks, or National Guard humvees but it was a comforting sight all the same. The small shuttle bus came to a halt. The lady driving it turned to the only passenger, "Country Club Meadows."

Ron looked at the woman for a moment and then looked around, nothing but empty farmland for as far as the eye could see. 'Where?"

The bored bus driver pointed down an access road that had yet to be paved, "That way about a mile and a half. This as close as I can take you." She said pulling the lever to open the door for him.

Stepping off the bus Ron pointed down the road, "That way?"

Nodding the woman closed the door and the bus pulled away. Ron watched as the bus disappeared into the distance. He turned and looked down the road, _"This is strange."_

Walking down the dirt road Ron made mental notes of all the little red construction flags that marked the road on either side. He guessed that is for when they bring out the gravel for the road. Hearing the sound of men working in the distance he fought off the urge to turn back and kept walking.

Cresting a hill he could now see Country Club Meadows. Row after row of shimmering brand new doublewide mobile homes lay at the bottom of the hill. He could see the men working on the far side of the property digging post holes for a fence. Looking to the north he could see people out playing golf at the Country Club. Grinning Ron shook his head, _"Why let a little thing like the end of the world keep you from playing golf."_

Now on the outskirts of Country Club Meadows he could tell that the fence the men were putting in was to surround the complex. Looking for a street sign he noticed they were actual road signs not boards nailed to 2x4's like in his neighborhood. Kim never did tell him where she lived other than the location. Placing his hands on his hips he looked up the 'M' street.

"I guess I'll start here. Her car should be pretty easy to spot." Ron muttered under his breath.

Walking the length of the street he saw a large stake truck in the distance and men laying sod on one of the yards. Carpeting made of grass that could be rolled on top of dirt. Watered and cared for the sod would take hold and you would have a ready made yard. He watched them work for a moment as he thought, _"Man I can't wait for those guys to work their way over to our neighborhood."_

Remembering the feel of grass beneath his feet he continued on until he reached the intersection of 'M' and 6th street. Now he could see Kim's Roth SL parked on the side of a very fancy doublewide mobile home. Smiling he made his way down the street. Walking up in front he noted mailbox 34. Mentally he jotted her address down, "Country Club Meadows, 6th Street, Box 34."

The box had the name Possible's stenciled on the side in blue lettering, _"This must be the place."_

Walking confidently up the stairs of the ornate wooden deck to the front door he grasped the aluminum storm door and opened it. Knocking on the much sturdier front door he grinned, _"Wow, they have storm doors."_

There was no answer from inside. Ron frowned and knocked again. He had hoped he hadn't gone to all the trouble to come visit her only to find her gone. There was still no answer from inside. Placing his hands on his hips he looked up and down the street. No one was around so he thought he'd walk around back. Maybe Kim was in the back of the large mobile home and couldn't hear him.

Ron ran his hands along the side of the house. The white siding felt like plastic. It wasn't plastic. It was like the siding on their old house. Vinyl, that was what it was called he remembered. Rubbing the back of his head he wondered why the Possible's house was so much larger than theirs.

Deciding the reason was because the Possible's had 5 people in their household to the Stoppable's 4 probably explained it. He turned the corner to the back of the home now. In the rear of the home a large redwood deck proudly sporting lawn furniture and an outdoor gas grill greeted him. He blinked in amazement, _"Man this place rocks."_

Looking in the sliding glass door he could see no movement inside. Frowning he decided that there was no one at home. He walked off the redwood deck and looked up at what he assumed were bedroom windows. The last window had a person looking out of it. Ron jumped, startled at the sight.

A grin spread across his face. The person looking out the window was Kim. He tilted his head and thought, _"Why didn't she answer the door?"_

Kim was gazing off into the distance. Ron turned his head to see what she was looking at. The only thing he could see was another doublewide mobile home that was setup directly behind Possible's. The bedroom window was about 3 foot taller than Ron so he jumped up and knocked on the window.

Uttering a silent scream from behind the glass Kim covered her mouth, relaxed, then a new look of terror came over her as she struggled with the window to open it. Sliding it open as far as it would go she leaned outside, "Were you seen?"

Not understanding the urgency, he shrugged, "I don't think so."

Holding out her hands, she hissed, "Get in here."

Jumping, Ron grabbed the window frame and boosted himself up to where he could wiggle inside the house. Crawling through the window he lost his balance and crashed to the floor in front of Kim's bed. Quickly regaining his feet, he grinned, "I meant to do that."

Kim giggled as she drew the curtains closed, "You'll never change." Kim clasped a hand over her mouth, "You don't belong here."

Ron ignored the comment, thinking she meant her bedroom. He grinned happily as he took in the fine good looks of his girlfriend, clad in only in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, "So how you been? You look great. I was hoping you'd come by the store."

Her demeanor changed from happy to sullen, "I...I don't go out much. You know the whole Red Cross thing."

"Oh...You shouldn't let that bother you." Ron said as Kim stepped into his arms.

Kim kissed him and held him tightly, "You nut, what are you doing here? Not that I'm not glad to see you."

"Just wanted to make sure you were OK." Ron said as he kissed her again.

Pulling away from him Kim bit her lower lip and looked around the room guiltily, "The tweebs are out terrorizing the country side, and mom and dad are at work...They won't be home for hours."

For the first time Ron noticed Kim's bedroom was furnished, "Hey, great looking room."

"Oh, thanks...It came with the house." She said as a slight blush came over her.

Making a face Ron said, "Ours came with a refrigerator a washer and dry and that was it."

"New clothes, you are definitely looking good." She said changing the subject.

Still grinning at her, he said, "New, right off the rack."

Kim watched him spin in a circle and then stopped him. He had missed a tag. A long clear sticker with the letter 'M' printed on it was stuck to the shirt. "You missed one. What would you do without me?" She said as she pulled the sticker from the shirt.

"Opps..." Ron said happily as he enjoyed the attention of his girlfriend was giving him.

Staring out the window had become one of Kim's favorite past times since the incident at the Red Cross. Gazing into the distance and thinking about her life and her life with Ron. She had arrived at a decision in the time that they had spent apart and now seemed like as good a time as any to let her boyfriend know. "Ron do you remember me telling you that, there's a time and place for everything?"

Tilting his head he tried to remember, "Not...not really."

"It's time..." Kim said as she pulled off her t-shirt.

Ron's mouth fell open, "You mean...it's...it's...that time?"

Reaching behind her she unclasped her bra and let it fall to the ground, "We should have done this a long time ago. There just never seemed to be time, or..I..I was just afraid." She kicked off her flip flops and pulled her shorts and panties off. Naked she smiled and lay down on her bed.

Making no effort to move Ron stared at her. He had seen her breasts before in the backseat of the car on dates, had even felt her pubic hair before Kim had stopped his hands from roaming any further. But this was the first time he had ever seen her truly naked before.

"Like what you see?" Kim said playfully.

Nodding his head vigorously, he mumbled, "Uh huh..."

Grinning Kim patted the bed, "Aren't you going to join me?"

Ron snapped back to reality. He quickly pulled off his shirt and tossed it on the floor. He tried to kick off his shoes only to realize that they were high tops. Growling he knelt down and unlaced them. Pulling his shoes off, quickly pulling his pants and boxers off. He stood above her grinning.

Kim looked sad as she reached out and rubbed her hand up and down Ron's thigh. She hadn't noticed how skinny he was getting. He hadn't been eating regularly and it was showing. He was always skinny before but now Kim could count his ribs and make out the definition of his hip and pelvic bone.

"Something wrong?" Ron asked nervously.

Kim shook her head, "No, no...I was just wondering about...you know...protection...I...I don't want to get pregnant...at least not yet."

Understanding Ron picked up his pants and pulled out his wallet. Proudly producing a red foil package he grinned, "Ribbed for her pleasure."

Giggling Kim shook her head, "Somehow, I just knew you'd have one. So how long have you been carrying that thing around?"

Grinning broadly Ron told her, "Since...about a week after junior prom."

Laughing, Kim covered her mouth, "You really planned this out in advance didn't you."

Blushing Ron looked away towards the window, "Well..."

Holding out her arms Kim grinned, "Come here..."

Sliding into bed next to her, he took her in his arms. Kissing her cheek, working his way down to the nape of her neck he inhaled her scent, "You smell great." He whispered.

Kim ran her fingers through his hair, "You need a haircut..." She mumbled.

Lowering his head to one of her breasts, he took a nipple into his mouth and mumbled, "Ummm hmmm..."

Letting out a little gasp as pleasurable sensations shot through her body, she rubbed her hand up and down Ron's back. Feeling Ron's erection pressing against her leg she moaned, "You don't know what that's doing to me..."

The two lovers lay side by side. Ron still nursing at Kim's breast, he now felt confident enough to let his hands wonder her body. He moved his left hand down her side moving slowly towards her stomach. Once past her stomach he could feel her soft pubic hair. He moved his hand lower and felt Kim part her thighs.

Releasing her nipple from his mouth, Ron kissed her gently and moved his hand the length of her vagina. Gasping as he felt the warm wetness that greeted his touch. He heard Kim moan softly. He wasn't sure what he was doing but was happy to note he thought he was doing it right.

Kissing her softly on the lips he continued to rub the length of her vagina. Arching her back, her green eyes rolled up into her head as she hissed, "Good...feels...good..."

Having never seen a naked woman before and still not believing he was with one now. He feared that in a few seconds he might wake up back at home or worse yet at Smarty Mart. Ron leaned forward again and gently kissed Kim on the lips. Then he began to work his way down her body, kissing her as he went.

Kim was panting as the overwhelming pleasurable sensations took control of her body. She gave a little lurch as Ron kissed her smooth flat stomach. It had tickled her for a moment. She reached down and ran her fingers through Ron's hair.

Nestling his nose in the red thatch of pubic hair, he inhaled Kim's musky fragrance. Continuing to run her fingers through his hair, Kim's eyes were wide with wonderment, _"I...I wonder if he's going to..."_ Her mind went blank as her butt lifted off the bed, she ground her vagina against Ron's tongue, "Whaaaa, what are you doing to me..." She moaned.

Not sure of exactly what he was doing, but knowing that Kim was enjoying it he kept licking. He had heard guys talk about oral sex on their girlfriends but he figured it was all talk about how their girlfriends enjoyed it. Now having Kim moaning and thrashing around under the movements of his tongue, he knew it wasn't talk.

Opening his eyes Ron could see Kim's chest heaving up and down as she panted. Her hands having fallen away she had given herself over to him. Her back arched again, taking Ron by surprise as he quickly gripped her hips

"Don't stop...don't stop...God, don't stop..." Kim panted.

Closing his eyes again he held her firmly to his mouth as Kim ground herself into his face. Moaning and grunting Kim thrashed on the bed. Ron held firm until he felt Kim's hands pushing his face away, "Enough...enough..."

Ron slid back beside her. He noted her green eyes were glassy as she held him tightly as she tried to regain her breath, "You like that?"

A chuckle escaped Kim's lips, "YEA...Where...where did...you learn to...do that?" She panted.

Shrugging he stroked her hair, "I heard guys talk about doing that..."

Kim grinned, her green eyes twinkling as she basked in the afterglow of her first orgasm, "I...I'm glad you paid attention..."

Ron swept a few loose hairs from Kim's face, gazing deeply into her green orbs he whispered, "I love you."

Kim closed her eyes and kissed him gently, "I love you too." Tasting her juices on Ron's tongue she felt a spasm from deep in her body. An aftershock she thought as she pulled Ron tightly to her, "I feel so sensual..." She hissed into his ear as she reveled in the new emotion.

They took a few moments to relax and run their hands over each other. Still exploring each others bodies and enjoying the new sensations that were awakening within their relationship. Finally Kim placed her hand on Ron's chest and whispered, "You have that rubber handy?"

A moment of panic occurred as Ron had forgotten what he had done with the red foil package. Then he remembered he had it grasped tightly in his right hand. Standing he quickly he fumbled with the package as he tried to open it. In his frustration he kept whispering over and over, "Damn it, damn it, damn it..."

Giggling Kim sat up, "Such language...Here let me do that."

Ron handed the red foil package to Kim. She easily peeled it open and took out the condom and grinned at him as she held it up for him to see. Ron growled, "The package vexes me so..."

Kim laughed and motioned for him to move closer. Now Ron's manhood was at eye level. It looked so much bigger from this angle she thought as she reached out and tentatively grasped his penis. It had to be what? Eight inches at least she thought. Or maybe it was because he was so skinny that it just looked bigger. She gasped as she saw a clear drop of fluid leak from the tip. Impulsively she closed her eyes and kissed the tip of his penis.

Ron's head rolled back as he moaned, "booyah..."

She swore when she was younger she'd never perform oral sex on a man. The thought of doing the act seemed dirt and vile. Having a man standing over you exerting his power did not appeal at all to her. Now that she was older, now that she held the member of the man she loved in her hands. She realized it was the woman who truly wielded the power over the man.

Opening her mouth she took Ron's penis as far as she could into her mouth. It felt surprisingly soft for something so rigid. Moving her tongue over his length she noted the salty flavor, Ron's flavor, she decided she liked it. Hearing Ron moan, she knew he liked it too.

"Kim...I can't take much more..." Ron gasped.

Releasing his penis from her mouth she grinned mischievously. Noting the twinkle in Kim's eyes, he couldn't help but ask, "What?"

"I'm not going to stop until I take it all in." Kim said in a sultry voice.

Ron licked his lips nervously, "Oh..."

Taking him into her mouth once again she went as far as she could comfortably. Feeling herself start to gag she tilted her head back and relaxed her throat muscles. Inching forward she took the remaining length of Ron's penis into her mouth until she felt his pubic hair tickling her nose. Backing away quickly she released Ron from her mouth and gasped for air. Grinning she wiped her mouth, "I can do anything."

Laughing Ron agreed, "Oh yea..."

Holding up the rubber she grinned, "It's time..."

Noting a mixture of fear and excitement in her boyfriends round brown eyes she placed the condom on the tip of his penis and tried to roll it on. Thinking that it should work just the way she was taught to roll the condom on the banana in Sex Ed class. Shaking her head at the memory of her embarrassment at having Mr. Barkin of all people be the one that taught her. Since he was the substitute teacher that day, he was in fact the one that had taught the girls how to roll a condom onto a banana. Giggling over the ridiculous timing of the memory, she stopped for a moment. "It doesn't fit. It won't roll on."

"What?" Ron said in confusion.

"Oh..." She whispered as she realized her mistake. She turned the condom around and rolled it over Ron's penis. Grinning up at him she noted, "This isn't as easy as rolling it onto a banana. Especially since the banana's got nothing on you."

Ron was now clearly confused, "What?"

"Never mind..." Kim whispered as she pulled Ron down between her thighs.

The sexual tension in the room was thick. The two lovers gazed into one another's eyes, Kim gazing into Ron's soft brown eyes as she felt him make his first attempt at penetration. "Oh, not there...to the left..." She whispered.

Ron reached down and grasped his penis, "Your left or my left?"

Giggling Kim reached down and took matters into her own hands, "Here, let me..."

Guiding Ron into position Kim let go of him as she felt him begin to push into her. The moment had finally come. Staring into her eyes Ron slowly pushed forward. Kim felt a sharp pain and hissed.

Ron froze, "OK?"

Pursing her lips together Kim nodded. She could feel Ron moving into her deeper and deeper, until at last he was all the way inside of her. There was pain but it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be, and despite Ron's size it didn't seem at all uncomfortable to her.

"You OK?" Ron whispered again.

Grinning Kim nodded, "Yea..."

As Ron pulled back his hips, Kim gasped as she learned exactly what the phrase 'Ribbed for her pleasure' meant as she let out a moan. "Ohhhhhhh"

Thrusting back into her, Ron felt Kim's legs wrap around his waist. He moved easily now in and out of her. Kim grunting her approval thrust her hips up to match his thrusts. Kim's eyes were wide as she reached around Ron and pulled him to her breasts.

Eyes rolling back into her head, she heard herself begging Ron to keep fucking her. Closing her eyes tightly she tried to think if she was really saying it or if it was only in her mind. Ron picked up his tempo and was thrusting into her faster and faster until he grunted and collapsed on top of her.

Kim held him tightly as she experienced a totally new sensation, "I...I can feel you come...Oh God Ron...I can feel you."

Panting Ron kissed her neck and cheeks as Kim clung to him, "Good...so good..." he panted.

Feeling Ron soften inside of her, she allowed her legs to unwrap from around his waist. The two lovers were now covered in sweat as they gazed at one another. Ron smiled at her, she returned it. They had known each other for as long as they could remember, good times and bad and now they shared something truly special with each other.

They smiled at one another and then they started to giggle. Kim pulled off Ron's condom and held it up for inspection, "Ewwwwwwww, how many little swimmers do you think are in that mess."

Laughing at his red headed lover, Ron shook his head, "I don't know..."

Glancing at the time on her clock radio, she gasped, "It's almost 2:00, I've got to get you out of here before everyone gets home."

The two lovers quickly dressed. Ron wished they could have enjoyed the afterglow longer but he also didn't want to face the wrath of a very angry Mr. Dr. Possible should they tarry too long.

"Let's head out through the kitchen." Kim said as Ron finished tying his shoe.

Nodding his head, Ron obediently followed her out of the room. Bumping into her in the hallway he realized Kim was having trouble walking. "What's wrong?"

Chuckling Kim looked over her shoulder, "God, my legs are shaking."

They both laughed at Kim's situation. Making slow progress to the kitchen gave Ron a chance to look around the Possible's new home. He whistled appreciatively as he looked into the living room and noted the vaulted ceiling. "This place is badical."

"Kitchen..." Kim reminded him.

"Oh yea." Ron said as he refocused on where they were heading.

Kim sat down heavily into a chair in the breakfast nook. Collapsing into a chair next to her, he continued to take in his surroundings. Ron's eyes lit up as he realized where they were. The doors leading from the breakfast nook led out onto the deck on the back of the house. "I have to see the kitchen." He said happily as he rose from his chair.

Walking into the adjoining kitchen, Ron's mouth fell open as he spotted something on the countertop. In a voice full of awe, he gasped, "OREOS"

Giggling insanely Ron picked up the package of cookies, "Double stuff" He said joyously as he sniffed the package.

Kim hearing his excitement, joined him in the kitchen, "What?"

"You've got Oreo's...can I...can I have one?" Ron asked breathlessly.

"Take the package." Kim said with a wave of her hand.

"No...I...I couldn't do that..." Ron protested feebly.

Kim stepped past him and opened the refrigerator. Ron gasped as he saw how much food was inside. Kim lowered her gaze, she was embarrassed. They're family had access to food and luxuries that the Stoppable's in the current climate could never have. She looked back up to her skinny half starved boyfriend and asked, "Pepsi or milk?"

"You...you have Pepsi?" Ron whispered as he tried to take in all the different kinds of food that he hadn't seen in so long.

She took a Pepsi from the refrigerator and handed it to him. Ron took it without breaking his gaze from the inside of the refrigerator. Kim started to close the door but before she could. Ron's hand shot out, "Grapes...grapes...Do you know how long it's been since I've seen fruit?"

Reaching back inside the refrigerator she handed him the bag of grapes, "We really do have to leave."

Kim led a grinning Ron out to her car. Ron's eyes were as wide as his grin as he sat in the passenger's seat. He had died and gone to teenager heaven. First he had sex with the most beautiful girl in the world, and then she showered him with gifts of food.

"So, think we can find time...to...you know do it again?" Kim asked.

"Huh..." Ron said as he was pulled out of his own thoughts.

Kim giggled, "When do you think we can be together again?"

"Soon I hope..." Ron answered as he tried to remember his schedule.

"Think you can come up with another...condom?" Kim asked shyly.

Laughing Ron nodded his head, "I have a whole box in my locker at Smarty Mart."

Chuckling Kim rolled her eyes, "Figures."

"So I guess you have to drive me home now?" He said not trying to mask his disappointment.

Clearing her throat Kim pointed out his window. Ron turned his head and realized he had zoned out for the entire trip. He smiled sheepishly, "Sorry I guess..."

Kim put a finger to his lips, "Shhhhhhhhh"

He kissed her goodbye and stepped from the car, "Sure you won't come inside?"

Ron hadn't asked the most obvious questions but she knew his parents would ask the hard questions, questions that she didn't have any answers for. Shaking her head she bowed out gracefully, "No, another time maybe."

Kim drove way from the front of the modest mobile home. Glancing up in the rearview mirror to see her skinny boyfriend disappearing inside his home, she frowned, _"I wish I could have done more for him."_

**

* * *

**

Monique shook her head, "You mean that was the first time you guys did it?"

"Yea" Ron said as a trace of annoyance crept into his voice.

"Your mother and I had thought you two were active for quite a while before that day." Monique chuckled.

Ron lifted his head from the pillow, "What are you talking about?"

"You left your wallet on the table one day when I first moved in. That little circle from the condom had imprinted its shape onto the leather. Your mother and I saw it." Monique explained with a twinkle in her eye.

"Oh, well a condom in a wallet is standard operating equipment for a boy wanting feel like a big shot." Ron explained.

Smiling at the memory, Monique continued, "Your mother winked at me and said, I think we know what Ronnie and Kimmie have been up too."

Ron frowned at the new revelation, "Great..."

Monique noticed that Ron was not enjoying the moment, "What's wrong..."

"All that food and the only thing I can think to bring home is a lousy can of Pepsi, a package of cookies and a bag of grapes. I was so stupid." He said bitterly.

"That was a long time ago. You were young then. Besides if you would have cleaned them out, both of you would have been in all kind of trouble." Monique reminded him.

"Dirty fuckin' residents..."

Monique put a finger over Ron's lips, "Shhhhhhhhh...Remember how good those cookies were?"

Ron grinned as he remembered the family sitting around on the floor of the mobile home sharing his bountiful gifts. In his minds eye he remembered the joy in Hana's eyes as she tasted a cookie again. Remembered having to restrain Rufus from attacking the cookies, remembered the look of pure pleasure on Monique's face as she sipped from the Pepsi can. Remembering how his mother and father playfully arguing with each other the best way to eat an Oreo.

"Yea, I guess it was worth putting out in order to eat cookies again."

Monique giggled as she turned out the lights, "Go to sleep, man whore..."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know I keep promising to post a new chapter of Knights of Zion and Ronnie Diamond but this story just won't leave me alone. I think it has to do with the mysteriousness of what had happened to the characters over the years and how I've got it all mapped out in my head to slowly reveal it before getting Ron and Kim together to do some detective work. **

**The next story I'm working on is Knights I have the chapter started, I'm reviewing my notes and should be posting it later in the week if all goes well.**

**Many thanks to Yankee Bard, Swordbunny4486, Wanderer3, Bigherb81, Zaratan, Drakonus Aurous, and Quis Custodiet for their reviews. Write a review receive a reply.**

**I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Bubba **

* * *

Thanksgiving Day had arrived at the Stoppable house. Ron had a full day of activities lined out for him. He had to attend the Annual Hebrew Bowl Turkey Day game at the Sunshine Bank Stadium. He had to entertain Eaton Trendle, who was already downstairs waiting on him. Then back home to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with his family and watch NFL football. Before he had to head back out to the practice facility, to watch more game film. The final game of the regular season was coming up against Boston College on Saturday. 

He actually enjoyed the hectic schedule, what he didn't enjoy was the mornings. The long walk to the bathroom was difficult due to his arthritic knees. On some mornings Monique would have to assist him until the joints loosened up enough for him to walk on his own. Looking over the vast array of pill bottles in front of him in the bathroom he shook his head, _"I can't believe I have to take all these different medicines to be healthy."_

Monique popped into the bathroom, "Did you take your pills yet? Steve just came in with his kids." She said excitedly.

Ron groaned, "Did you add any pills to my pile over here? These all can't be mine."

"Nope those are all yours old man." Monique teased.

Pointing up to medicine cabinet he grinned, "I only want to take one those magic pills up there and play with you all day in bed."

Monique grinned, "Maybe if you're a good boy today and don't get too grumpy later."

Grinning Ron started to take his medicine, "You have given me a goal. I'm very goal oriented."

Playfully Monique pulled down her sweat pants and wiggled her butt for him, "Inspiration..."

"You're going to make me want to take that pill now." Ron said grinning as he watched his wife disappear out the door.

"_Later"_

Grinning Ron looked at himself in the mirror. He didn't look too bad for nearing sixty he thought happily. Monique looked great, African American's hide their age well he thought. She had to look what? Twenty years younger than he did. True she was heavier than she'd been in high school, but it was in all the right places. Looking towards the door once again he grinned as he watched her walk by naked as she changed clothes. Her plump butt jiggling as she walked, _"God she's still hot..."_

Turning away from the door, he looked down towards his limp penis and prodded it, "Hey, you used to work when I'd have these kinds of thoughts." He muttered under his breath.

"Oh well...That's what we have pills for." He mumbled turning his attention back to his pills. One fiber pill to help him poop, a stool softener to help him poop, He didn't want anymore hemorrhoid troubles. He went through that when he was in his 40's. Two blood pressure pills, a pill to make sure his heart beat like it was supposed to, a pill for his diabetes, Two pain killers for his arthritic knee, a vitamin, and a baby aspirin for his heart. Quickly popping the pills into his mouth, he rinsed them down with a small glass of water.

His attention turned back towards Monique in the bedroom, "Hey..."

"_Hey what?"_

Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he answered her. "Getting old sucks."

* * *

Fully dressed, Ron in a pair of tan pants and green Miami Hurricane sweater he made his way down the stairs to greet a portion of his large family. He looked around the entry way, _"All the girls are here. Good to see Allison getting out. Steven an Lionel and their families, Ronnie's in Wyoming and Mr. Trendle is squished in the back of the room...Perfect."_

"Hey Daddy" Allison said giving her father a peck on the cheek.

Ron hugged her tightly, "Glad you could make it." He pointed to Annie's husband, "Big O, how's the pharmaceutical business treating you?"

Oscar Poppadopolis stepped forward and shook Ron's hand firmly. He answered his father in law in his heavy Greek accent, "Business is good. People are dying to take my medicines."

Forcing a laugh Ron pointed at the big man, "Ah ha, funny pharmacy humor."

Oscar was a big man compared to Ron, tall dark and handsome. Just the way Annie liked them. Ron was glad after they married Annie had kept her maiden name. He didn't think he could ever get used to pronouncing Poppadopolis.

Allison hugged him next, "Hi Daddy."

Ron hugged her tightly, "Glad to see you could make it." Pointing at Jorge, He stuck out his hand, "Ever get that lawn mower going?"

He smirked, "Junked it bought an electric one."

Laughing Ron nodded his head, "Less frustrating that way."

His oldest daughter Cheyenne hugged him next. She and Ron were especially close as he had spent a lot of time being a single parent to her before he married Monique. The skinny girl with long flowing black hair and those unmistakable Stoppable eyes smiled at him, "Hey Dad."

He couldn't help but grin, "Che, good to see you...and Dave...How's the cruise business?" He asked his son in law.

David Thatcher grinned at his father in law, "People are dying to go on a cruise with us." He said grinning at Oscar.

"Funny, funny cruise stuff..." Ron said happily.

Matthew Stoppable stuck out his hand, "Hey Grandpa..."

Ron pushed the hand away and hugged his oldest grandson. "How are things going in Tampa?"

Matthew smiled and shook his head, "Not great..."

"That's because you guys suck. You need your Grandpa to come up there and get the Buc's winning again." Ron teased the fourth member of his family to play professional football.

He nodded to his middle son Steve, "Things going OK in Tallahassee?"

The boy who most closely resembled Ron except for his dark skin tone shrugged, "It's not looking so good."

"Yea..." Ron said nodding his understanding of the trials of a college football assistant coach.

"Dad, it's time to leave for the game." Lionel reminded him as he pointed to his watch.

Nodding his head, he looked around for Steve's wife, "Miranda?"

"Helping Monique in the kitchen." He told him.

"Lionel, you driving?" Ron asked.

The thin non athletic son of Ron Stoppable and Monique Wilson, graduated from the University of Miami with a degree in Law. After the retirement of Ron's cousin Raffi, he was now his father's agent and chief business advisor. Nodding his head he said, "I'll drive."

"OH, OH, Hang on. Everybody, this is Eaton Trendle, he's writing a book or something about me and your mother or we're in it...I don't know." Ron said as he pointed to Eaton.

Eaton smiled and waved to the large crowd, "Hello"

Lionel frowned, "You didn't clear this with me. He might be writing a hit piece."

"It's not a football book. It's about what happened out in Colorado." Ron explained.

"Ahhhh...A historical piece." His son said rubbing his chin.

"Little ones out at the pool?" Ron asked the small crowd.

"Yep, swimming in Pa pa's pool." Allison told him.

Smiling he nodded, he liked having the grandkids over to use a pool that he didn't get to take advantage of much these days. It was however time to go to the big high school football game. Looking at his brood he asked, "Who's going to the game with me?"

Most of the kids backed away. They knew going to a football game with their father could be draining on the psyche. Myrical stepped forward, "I wanna go."

"You just want to go to look at boys." Myracle pouted and Ron smiled, "Fine, load up."

Walking out of the house towards Lionel's large SUV, Ron did a quick head count of the people going to the game. _"Myracle, Steve, Lionel, Eaton...Me...There's enough room in Lionel's bus for us."_

"PUT ME DOWN, STEVEN!" Myracle cried, kicking her legs as her brother picked her up in a fireman's carry.

"This one's baggage she goes in the back." He said playfully.

Grinning Lionel offered some assistance, "If he drops you, I'll handle the litigation."

"I'm suing, I'm suing." His daughter cried as Steven returned her to the ground.

"I was talking to Stevie..."

Ron shook his head,_"Kids"_

* * *

Monique having returned from changing clothes was now dressed in a pair of black pumps, black slicks and a very elegant red sequined blouse toped with a small golden 'M' pin on the lapel. She enjoyed dressing up for family functions. She always told Ron that at least on of them had to look good since he would seldom wear anything that didn't have the University of Miami logo on it.

Now with her kids in the kitchen helping to prepare the meal, she made herself busy as she moved around the kitchen, "Have we got enough high chairs?"

"I'm on it Mom." Cheyenne said as she found another high chair. Pointing at Matthew, "Into the family room, organize the kid's tables."

"Mom, you ever think about changing your hair style? You've worn your hair like that for as long as I can remember." Annie asked.

"Well it still looks good. I was thinking about cutting it short and doing a tight afro curl, but your father wouldn't hear of it." Monique said she looked around the kitchen for something to do.

"Dad likes the long hair then?" Annie said with a grin.

Running over to the oven she turned on the light and peeked through the glass at the pies, "He says I still look like I did in high school. He says short hair would make me look old."

"I was thinking about getting my hair cut to shoulder length." Allison said as she tried to scamper out of Monique's way, as she rounded the table.

Monique frowned looking around the kitchen, "I know I'm forgetting something. Oh well. I used to have shoulder length hair and then hair extensions for added length. I got upset one time and pulled them out in front of your Daddy. Scared him to death, he thought I was pulling out my real hair."

"Dad made you mad?" Annie asked.

"No, your mother...said some things." Monique said sadly.

Annie frowned, "That figures."

The NFL linebacker shook his head, "Do I still have to eat at the kid's table?"

Monique smiled, "You should have brought a date. You know how your Grandpa can be."

"Monique sit down and relax, Allison and I can take things over from here." Annie said as she scolded her step mother.

"I know, I know, I just can't help it. I have to keep busy." She said as she looked around to see if she had forgotten anything.

"So, I hear Dad is doing most of the talking to that Eaton guy." Annie said with a grin.

Monique stopped rushing around, 'Well, I...I don't really want to talk all that much."

Annie pointed at a chair, "Sit down and tell us all about when you moved in with Daddy."

"You just want me to sit down." Monique frowned.

Cheyenne grinned, "Mom, sit down I want to hear some of these great stories about Dad that Annie and Myracle have been telling me."

Monique took a seat a chair where she could watch the girls work in the kitchen, "Where should I start?"

"How about that time you and Grandpa were married by Elvis." Matthew teased as he entered the kitchen.

"NO, no, no, no, no...Ohhhhhhhhhh..." Monique fumed at one of the most embarrassing moments of her life.

Cheyenne threw down her dish towel, "That's it, all men creatures and kids out of the kitchen."

Oscar frowned as he stood from the table, "I want to hear about Elvis."

Annie pointed her husband to the door, "Out"

Once the girls were alone, Allison sat down across from Monique. "Tell us all the good romantic mushy stuff."

"No, tell us about going to live with daddy." Annie suggested.

"Yea, that's pretty romantic stuff there." Cheyenne said.

Monique sighed, "Well alright...You know I was kind of stuck living in that Smarty Mart right?"

Allison nodded her head, "Yea, mushy stuff..." She said excitedly.

"Allie..." Annie growled.

Laughing Monique continued, "Well after your father chased away this bum that was hitting on me. He suggested I come live with them."

"Ewwwwwwwww, I like this part." Allison squealed happily.

"Allie..." Annie scolded her again.

Picking up a napkin, Monique started to twist it nervously. It was a habit she had from when she was little. She always twisted or shredded napkins when she was nervous. "After your father asked me if I'd come live with him and his parents, we were in the store for about 3 days waiting for Ron to get off work. So he could go home and see his family and I could meet them and move in."

Cheyenne pulled up a seat next Monique, "Grandpa and Granny Stoppable."

Grinning mischievously she closed her eyes, "I was still a young girl then. Your father was going out with Kim Possible..."

"Boo..." Allison and Annie said playfully.

Monique stopped and noted that the 'boos' were playful and not angry. This made her feel better. Ron's talk of the other night had softened the girls a bit. "So I...I knew he was off limits so I couldn't touch but...I could still look."

"Ewwwwww, mushy stuff." Allison squealed again.

"Allie..." Annie scolded again.

"So after your father would check on me to see how I was doing. I'd check out his butt when he'd leave the snack bar." Monique said as she flashed the girls an evil grin.

"Ohhhhhhhhh..." All the girls said in unison.

Monique's eyes glistened, "Your father was so...so...skinny!"

* * *

Long isles of empty shelving masked her movements. Stealthily moving from one isle to the next she stalked her prey. Monique Williams was soon to be living with Ron Stoppable but first they had to escape Smarty Mart before they died of boredom. Having read her fashion magazine from cover to cover 3 times, she was officially bored.

Stopping near an isle that would have held cookies and snacks before the attack, now it held nothing. Crouching down to make a smaller target Monique narrowed her eyes, _"Why is he stopping here?"_

The boy who she wouldn't have looked at twice now held her in rapt attention. Monique frowned as she weighed the options. Either way it did not bode well for her friend Kim Possible. She kept telling herself that this was strictly a mission to make sure that Ron was not straying from the path and wasn't going to alienate Kim's affections. In reality, she was smitten with the love bug.

"_I just don't see what Kim sees in him. He's too skinny."_ She mused as she held up both hands in front of her to form a picture frame. Her imaginary picture frame was directly lined up with Ron's butt,_"Nope, way too skinny to make me happy."_

"_What are you doing Williams? Could we possibly be checking out Ms Possible's boyfriend?" _

Monique let out a scream as she jumped into the air, "NO, NO...I...I was looking for...for bath rugs..."

Steve Barkin crossed his arms, "House wares other side of the store...and we're out."

Glancing towards the spot where Ron had last been, she discovered he had left the area. Frowning she walked slowly back to the snack bar, her quarry lost, her cover blown. Monique was not happy, _"Why does Mr. Barkin always have to show up at inopportune times? Isn't there a Mrs. Barkin for him to go home to?"_

Sitting back down in the snack bar she crossed her arms and fumed. _"Ron is too skinny for Kim. Why can't she see that? I think it is up to me to protect Kim from getting hurt. I mean he's skinny shiftless and lazy. Or at least he was in high school."_

Picking up her fashion magazine she glanced at the cover and threw it back down on the table. _"Stick girls, they look like boys with makeup on...Maybe I should help Kim out by luring Ron away from her. Yea, I protect her from getting hurt and I dispatch his skinny butt to the room down the hall."_

Grinning happily, Monique thought this plan was a fine idea, _"Now how to go about this?"_

Monique leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. How could she pull this off? If they were both living in the same house she could dress scantily and give him lots of hugs. She would have to be sure to really press him into her breasts hard. After all she was much bustier than Kim.

In her minds eye she could see herself hot and sweaty pressed up against a door frame of the Stoppable's mobile home. She was hot and drenched in sweat from the heat as she fanned herself with a magazine. Ron would enter the room and take notice of the fact she was clad only in a panties and bra, _"Ohhhhhhh Ron the air conditioning has gone out, and I'm just burning up. Could...could you get an ice cube and just...rub it all over my body."_

Giggling Monique shook her head and sat up, _"That boy would run in terror if I did something like that."_

Shaking her head and smiling, she knew she could never do that. She had never been with anyone before and she was way too modest and shy for that. She frowned as a momentary pang of guilt crossed her mind, _"This is a crush and he is Kim's boyfriend."_

Lifting an eyebrow as the pang of guilt passed, _"Kim is leaving for school soon. I could comfort and console a grieving Ron. He would appreciate having a soft, sexy feminine body in which to cling to and pour out his sorrow and inner most secrets."_

"_Monique, I brought you some water."_

Caught be surprise again, she nearly toppled over backwards out of her chair. Grabbing hold of the table she righted herself and gazed longingly into Ron's deep brown eyes, "Oh...thanks..." She said breathlessly.

Ron grinned and pulled a small package of wheat thins from his pocket. He leaned over her,_"Don't let people see you eating this. They'll think we have food again."_

"Right" Monique whispered as she took the bag and stashed it under the table out of sight. Grinning happily she thought, _"He brought me dinner, he brought me dinner. He loves me and not Kim."_

Chuckling Ron looked around, "You have to be careful around here. We used to pee in those bottles after the water was gone. This was before the portable toilets arrived. There are still a few pee bombs running around the store unaccounted for."

Monique frowned at this little piece of information as Ron walked out of the snack bar to return to work. As the romance evaporated from the moment, she thought the matter over again, _"Yep, he's way too skinny for me."_

* * *

Miranda Stoppable, Steve's wife sat down next Monique. The African American woman from Chicago had met her middle son the one year he played football for the bears. She was a little rough around the edges but Monique liked her for her attitude, "Ewwwwww girl, talking about piss during a romantic moment like that...I'd a kicked him to the curb, get your sick butt away from me."

Monique laughed, "No, no, I had to live with them."

Annie lifted an eyebrow, "So you thought about trying to woo Daddy away from mom then."

"No, no, it was a young girls fantasy...I was a little too shy for that." Monique said with a slight blush.

"So did you and daddy ever date before you moved to Florida?" Allison asked.

"We did for a little bit after your momma broke up with Daddy." Monique said evenly.

Annie frowned, "I never heard why Mom broke up with him."

Monique sighed, "Well...it's like this. Your mother came home from her first year at Cambridge engaged."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh" Allison said suddenly thinking she understood what happened. "So they separated for a while and mom decided she couldn't live without Dad and they had an illicit affair, and..."

"Allie! You read too many romance books." Annie chuckled at her twin. Facing Monique again Annie asked, "So, mom kind of blindsided Dad."

"Your father knew something was up. Someone had told him before the school year ended in Wyoming. He just needed to hear from your mother to make it official."

Allison frowned, "So who was the guy mom left Daddy for?"

Monique sighed, "The Grand Duke Eduardo Alfredo Carlos Miguel Filipe de Barbon. She was going to become royalty."

Annie frowned, "Mom's never been married though. I wonder what happened."

Monique shrugged, "No one knows."

"I bet Dad knows." Annie said quietly.

Narrowing her eyes, Monique looked at the woman, "You ought to know by now. Your father always knows more than he lets on."

"I bet Dad was devastated." Allison said sadly.

Monique shook her head. "No, no, your father took it well. He and his mother spent most of their time looking after me. I was devastated."

Cheyenne grinned, "Hold on, you were devastated that Dad and that woman had broken up?"

Annie and Allison grinned at Cheyenne's reference to her mother. Annie said in disbelief, "I somehow doubt that you were all that broken up about it."

Monique was hesitant to answer, "Well no...Your mother said some...really mean things to me."

Allison gasped, "I thought she only said mean things to me."

Chuckling Annie shook her head, "Only because you don't tell her to piss off."

Allison frowned, "True..."

Miranda grinned. "So after those two broke up that's when you pounced on him?"

Smiling at her daughter in law, she shook her head, "We kind of dated...but with Ron's mother around...Living under the same roof...It wasn't easy to have a relationship."

Cheyenne smiled. The oldest girl was around to remember Connie Stoppable at the height of her powers, "Grandma could be pretty protective of Daddy."

Monique grinned, "She made us clap our hands when we were out of her sight. That way she always knew we weren't making babies."

Annie winked, "So that's when you and Daddy got busy then?"

Gasping at the idea Monique quickly set Annie straight, "Certainly not, I was a virgin when I married your father."

"You're kidding, right?" Miranda asked, not quite believing that any modern woman kept her virginity until they were married.

"Why do you think I'm kidding?" Monique asked suspiciously.

"Well because you're..." Miranda quit talking as she realized she had become the center of attention of a group of very protective steely eyed Stoppable women. "...never mind."

Monique shook her head, "You were going to say Ghetto weren't you?"

"No, no..." The daughter in law had the good sense to lie.

Allison broke the uneasy silence, "So Grandma Stoppable made you breakup with Daddy?"

"Nope, your father and I decided to hang up the idea of being a couple up for a while. Grandma was happy. She had a year and half reprieve from being a grandmother. Your Dad went back to college and became a jerk, and once again...I was alone." Monique said sadly.

* * *

The large black SUV drove up I-95 towards Dolphin Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins. Ron knew the drive well having play for the Dolphins for two years plus serving as the offensive coordinator for a single season he had intimate knowledge of the old venue.

Having been sidelined for two years due to a gunshot wound, he was approached about forming a football program for a Jewish High School. Ron organized the David Posnack Jewish High School football team known as0 the Rams in Plantation, Florida. The school was a small 1A program and part of the Florida High School Athletic Association that oversaw all high school sports for the state of Florida.

Ron pieced together an 11 game schedule with the final game to be played on Thanksgiving Day. Thanks to his professional football contacts he was able to secure Dolphins Stadium as the venue. The first Hebrew Turkey Day Game took place on Thanksgiving Day in 2016 and had become a tradition over the years. This was to be the 33rd year of the classic. The team that David Posnack Jewish High School always played in the classic was The Weinbaum Yeshiva High School from Boca Raton, Florida.

"So as you can tell this is probably the only chance most of these kids will ever have to play in a 75,000 seat stadium." Ron explained.

"So how many fans does the game draw?" Eaton asked.

Ron thought for a moment, "Well both the schools only have an enrollment of around 200 to 250 kids. So between parents, students, alumni and fans...I say around 2,000 to 2,500. The crowd has grown over the years."

Eaton nodded his head appreciatively, "I bet the kids get a kick out of it."

Smiling Ron remembered his high school championship game in old Go City Stadium, "They get pretty bug eyed at the size of the stadium and the Jumbo Tron and all the trappings of a NFL style locker room."

Lionel glanced into the back seat, "I'm going to turn on Pigskin and Porky and see if they're still trying to run you out of town."

Eaton looked at Ron mystified by Lionel's statement.

Leaning over Ron explained, "Their on WQAM, a sports radio talk show. They're heavily sponsored by a guy named Dan Tovella. Dan doesn't like me. Thinks I'm over the hill. I've taken the University of Miami to 8 National Title games, won 6 of them, and we haven't been out of the top 5 in the nation in 23 years. And it's not good enough for him."

"_...let's go to the phones Pigskin!"_

"_Dave from Clearwater you're on with Pigskin and Porky in the morning."_

"_...am I on, am I on the air?"_

"_Dave is close to being off the air, talk to us."_

Leaning over towards Eaton, Ron explained further, "Dan has his car sales guys call in and bash me all the time. He's been trying to get a fire Dr. Ron movement going for the last 5 years now. He's never had much luck till now."

"Why now?"

Shrugging Ron acted as though he were writing a check, "He's promising large dollars to the University."

"_...How...how do you think the Dolphins are going to do Sunday against the Raiders? Am I on the air?"_

Eaton chuckled, "Got to love talk radio."

"Raiders are dog meat. They haven't won anything since before I was in high school." Ron mumbled.

"_Pigskin, I like the Fish for Sunday, what's your call?"_

"_GO FISH, FISH WIN BIG, GO FISH! HOOOOOO WEEEEEEE"_

Lionel's SUV came alive with shouts of "GO FISH"

Ron laughed, "Lots of good Dolphin fans in this car."

"_Pete from Ft. Lauderdale, you're on with Porky and Pigskin."_

"_Before I start I know the Hurricane's are the number 1 team in the country..."_

Myracle smiled at her father, "Here it comes."

"_...but Dr. Ron has lost all touch with the program, and now there's that woman in Colorado saying they used to fight space aliens together...Please and Thank you, I don't think so. As far as Saturday's game goes, Cain's ain't got a snowball chance in hell of beatin' Boston College. They're offense is too complicated for that old man to figure out."_

"Shit, that's my offense they're running." Ron said clearly amused by the radio.

"_I have to agree totally with you Dave. If we don't make it to the National Championship Game again, I think it's high time the University puts Coach Ron Stoppable out to pasture. What do you think Pigskin?"_

Ron smirked, _"They're trying to drag Kim into it. I hope she doesn't run for President."_

"I think Pete from Ft. Lauderdale's a new one Dad?" Lionel said with a grin.

"_Woooooooooo Weeeeeeee, No National Championship, We tar and feather ol' Dr. Ron and run him out of town on a rail. GO CAIN'S!"_

Grinning at Eaton, Ron said, "Looks like Dan added a new salesman to the Tovella Automotive Connection."

"_Just a reminder, The Pigskin and Porky Show will continue till 11:00 when we turn it over to nationally syndicated programming."_

"_Wooooooo Weeeeeeee NATIONALLY SYNDICATED PROGRAMING!"_

Eaton turned around in his seat, "These guys don't sound too bright."

"They're assholes." Myracle said as her eyes began to tear. She didn't like hearing her father being attacked by the press. She had seen a few media feeding frenzies in her 18 years and the things total strangers could say about people they don't know could be painful.

Ron put his arm around his daughter, "Now don't go taking this stuff personally. Those guys get paid to say that stuff."

"_Bill from Tallahassee, you're on with Pigskin and Porky."_

"_WHAT'S A DIRTY NOLE DOIN' THIS FAR SOUTH!"_

"_I'm down here for the holiday. You guys are idiots. You want to run Dr. Ron out of town. You can run him to Tallahassee, Timmons is a disgrace. Dr. Ron at Florida State, we'd be kicking those Cain's all over the state."_

"_SEEMS TO ME YOU GOT A STOPPABLE UP THERE RUNNIN' YOUR OFFENSE!"_

"_That's right Pigskin, you'd have two losers up there for the price of one."_

Steven had heard enough, "TURN THAT SHIT OFF!"

Ron looked to his son. He knew things could get rough when a program was going down hill. What he was hearing down here, he had to be hearing twice as much up there. "Things that bad?"

"Dad...He's lost control of the program. There's no discipline, Coach Timmons hides in his office. To make matters worse they won't buy into the offense I've been trying to teach them." Steven complained.

Ron reached past Myracle and patted his son on the back, "They run me off down here. You can run my offense at whatever school we end up at." Looking towards Eaton, "That's off the record off course. I'd hate to have any charges of collusion besmirching my good name."

The author nodded, "I hear ya."

A wisp of a smile crossed Lionel's face, "If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"

Ron pointed to Lionel and beamed with pride, "My youngest son the smart one that didn't play football."

Lionel grinned, "William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice...and the...uh...motto of the Stoppable men."

Steven Stoppable smiled broadly, "Yup, yup, Momma didn't raise no fools."

"The motto of the Stoppable women." Myracle said happily.

"So what kind of people were the Trendle's?" Ron asked Eaton out of the blue.

"Ah...mom and dad are still alive. I was adopted when I was 2. The Christian's Children Agency was handling adoptions of orphaned children from the affected regions. So Dan and Ellen Trendle adopted me. I grew up in St. Petersburg Florida...Went to school at the University of California at Berkley..." Eaton explained.

Ron nodded his head, "Oh yea...You were lucky, the Residents put a stop to out of state adoptions about 3 years after the attack."

"Why did they stop out of state adoptions?" Myracle asked, clearly puzzled by her fathers response.

"Because the Residents were all about power and ruling over people...Mothers who couldn't get food or special services were giving kids up for adoption left and right. Well if a Resident's Neighbor should get sick or old or die off. There would be no future generations of Neighbors to rule over. Simply put, in fancy Government jargon, the state was loosing population too quickly, thus the tax base was eroding and the congressional districts were loosing too many seats on a state and national level...Blah, blah, blah..." Ron explained as he made grand gestures in the air with his hands.

"Oh"

"We're the Trendle's good people?" Ron asked turning his attention back to Eaton.

Eaton nodded his head, "Yea they were pretty good people. Only family I've ever known."

Ron smiled, "Good, good...I think Tara would be happy with how you turned out. I know you brought some stuff over the other day. I was just wondering if you had any more trinkets and doodads to look at."

Thinking about it, Eaton tried to remember. "Let's see, I had the birth certificate, yearbook, a few pictures. I don't think I brought moms stuff. Stuff she had on her when she died. A little charm bracelet, a ring, a stuffed animal..."

"A bear...a brown bear?" Ron asked suddenly.

Eaton nodded his head, "Yea..."

"...a bear in a yellow raincoat, rain hat and big black rubber galoshes?" Ron asked.

"Yea, how did you know...?"

"Mr. Theodore T. Bear...Teddy the Bear...I want to see him." Ron said firmly.

"I didn't bring it the first time. I didn't think it was important. Plus, it has some of mom's blood on it. It was found with her body." Eaton said sadly.

Ron winced at the thought, "Oh, poor Tara...Poor Theodore..."

Myracle screwed up her face, clearly not understanding her father's reaction to the bear, "Dad, it's a stuffed animal."

"No, no, you don't understand Theodore was real. Theodore was real because Tara made him real to us."

Eaton shook his head, "I have to hear this one."

"Your mother had this anxiety problem from time to time. So if she was feeling anxious about something, we'd see her carrying Theodore." Ron said grinning at the memory of the petite blonde cheerleader lugging around a stuffed bear and a book bag.

"...and the bear did what?" Myracle asked, still not quite getting what her father was leading up to.

Ron groaned, "Well, say she was worried about a test. Theodore would come to school with her. He would help take her mind off things. Or say she was upset with someone. Theodore would help get the message across. That ol' bear could be brutal."

Mryacle laughed, "Oh come on..."

"No, no, it's true and if Theodore liked you...he would offer you a cigar. Much to Tara's displeasure of course, she would scold him and call him a nasty old bear. Theodore of course liked me and your mother, Kim, Josh Mankey. He wasn't too wild about Bonnie Rockwaller though." Ron said with a smile as he thought back to his youth.

"We're here." Lionel said as he parked the SUV in the VIP area inside Dolphins Stadium.

"Just wait till I tell Monique. She's going to want to see Theodore too." Ron said happily as he jumped from the truck.

"Careful Dad, you're not that spry anymore." Lionel cautioned.

Ron frowned at his youngest son. Crossing his arms as a thought came to mind, _"If Theodore was with Tara when she died. She must have been worried about something...or someone."_

A small group of people approached for autographs. They handed Ron little University of Miami footballs and football cards. Ron smiled and dutifully signed them with his scrawling signature followed by the initials H.O.F. for Hall Of Fame followed by 2050 for the year.

Glancing over towards Eaton and then back to the fans, he thought, _"I wish I could talk to Kim. She's the former Global Justice Agent. I wonder if there's a case file or something she could get a hold of?"_

"Mazeltov on the Hall of Fame Ronnie..."

Ron grinned at the matronly woman who had just shoved an old Sports Illustrated cover under his nose. The cover featured him and the Dolphins hoisting the Lombardi Trophy to celebrate a Super Bowl victory with a large banner proclaiming 'Super Stoppable', "Thank you, are you a big Hurricane fan?"

"Nah, I liked you when you played for the Dolphins. You had such a nice butt for a Jew back then." The woman said as she snuck a glance at Ron's rear end.

Laughing Ron handed her magazine back to her, "Man that cover brings back some memories."

"We have to head inside now, Dad." Lionel reminded him.

Following his son he thought about Kim, _"I know she's still mad at me. I know she wouldn't look into it for me. But maybe she'd look into it for Tara's son?"_

* * *

The group had settled into the Sunshine Bank luxury box at the 50 yard line. Ron had participated in the pre-game activities including the coin toss. He was still popular with the crowd as he signed countless autographs as he was escorted to an elevator the level where there luxury boxes resided.

A security guard turned the key to the private elevator. Looking at Ron the guard smiled. "Think the Fish will win Sunday?"

"Shaaaaaa, but of course. The Raiders haven't won anything since before I was in high school." Ron said pleasantly.

The elevator stopped on the 4th concourse. The guard pointed to the left, "Third door down."

Ron nodded and waved as he made his way towards the luxury box. His mind was still thinking about Tara and Theodore. _"So if Tara had Theodore with her when she died...hmmm. I'll have to ask Eaton what neighborhood she was in. I know it's too many years too late, but if Kim could get some information...Who are you kidding old man, your too lame to go hunting killers."_

Turning the door handle to the suite he stepped into the carpeted box over looking the 50 yard line. He did love luxury suites. Stocked refrigerators, beer on tap, catered food, television monitors, extra cushy chairs and an unobstructed view of the game.

"What did I miss?" Ron asked as he entered the room.

"Nothing too much, The Storm went three and out. They had a third and long and tried a reverse. The Rams brought the inside linebacker and a safety on a rush and blew the play up before it could start. " Myracle told her father as she stared intently at the game.

Ron blinked stunned what his daughter had just rattled off to him. He pointed to Steven who shrugged his shoulders equally as amazed, "So how many did the Rams have lined up in the box?" Ron quickly asked to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

"Beer?" Steven offered.

"One..." Ron said quietly.

Myracle pointing towards the field with her hotdog and gave her assessment of the play. "They had six in the box but the inside linebacker and the safety were cheating in. The Storm's quarterback should have made the read and checked off to a screen pass or a run to the weak side."

"Right..." Ron said in amazement.

"The Storm's quarterback, Moshe Levine, he's got a sweet ass." Myracle said appreciatively.

"Ahhhhhhh" Ron said waving a hand at his daughter.

Making a small plate of a hot dog and potato chips Ron took a seat next to Eaton, "Don't tell Monique, I'm not supposed to have potato chips...blood pressure."

Eaton nodded his head, "So tell me about being in a neighborhood gang."

Taking a bite of the potato chip Ron savored the taste, "Chip good, salt bad...Not much to tell, every neighborhood had them. With little or no police we kind of had to take care of things ourselves. David Franks recruited my first full night home from Smarty Mart."

* * *

Kim pulled up in front of the Stoppable's 53 foot long mobile home and parked. She was not herself and Ron could see it. Hugging her tightly to him, he whispered in her ear, "You can't let that crazy woman get you down. It wasn't our fault those things attacked."

"I know…" Kim said absently.

Ron looking at his girlfriend as she turned away from asked, "Sure you wouldn't like to say for a bit?"

He was hoping she would say yes and he could try and cheer her up, make her forget the ugliness of the Red Cross tent. Then he remembered they didn't have anything really promising to eat and he sure didn't want to offer his girlfriend a can of dog food.

"No, I'll be OK." Kim said woodenly.

"Can I have a kiss?" Ron asked hoping that kissing him would cheer her up some.

"Sure" Kim said as she leaned over and kissed him on the lips. Pulling back she smiled, "I'm OK, I just need to go home and do some thinking that's all."

Sliding out of the car Ron quickly ducked his head back inside. Pointing at her in a playful yet stern voice he told her, "No stinkin' thinkin' now…"

Chuckling Kim shook her head, "No stinkin' thinkin'."

Closing the car door, he watched as Kim pulled away and drove down the road. A small dust cloud following in her wake, _"Man, I can't wait till they spread some gravel around here."_

The front door opened to the mobile home and Ron's dad walked down the wrought iron steps towards him. He could tell by the way his Dad was walking that he was not in a good mood, "I was hoping you'd stick around long enough for your mother and I to head over to Tweeter's farm and see to burial arrangements. I need you to watch Hana."

Ron nodded his head, "Sure Dad, sorry I didn't tell you I was leaving with Kim."

Walter Stoppable said nothing as he turned and walked back inside the house. He reappeared with his mother who was still sobbing. Ron walked up to the stairs, "I'll watch Hana, while you guys are out."

Watching his mother and father load up in the station wagon and drive away dampened his spirits even more. He was beginning to wish he had never left Smarty Mart. Walking back inside the mobile home he saw Hana grinning as she carried a very harried looking Rufus towards him.

"Rufus, Rufus, Rufus…" She repeated over and over again.

Grinning Ron took his half squished pal from her, "That's right, you learned another new word."

Looking at Rufus who was in his hands now and trying to catch his breath, _"hnk, She caught me."_

Chuckling Ron smiled at him, "I can tell." Turning his attention back to Hana he pointed at Rufus and petted him, "Rufus nice, no squish Rufus."

Hana ran around the living room and then up towards the ceiling. Ron's eyes following her as she ran up the walls and across the ceiling, "Rufus, Rufus, Rufus…"

"Nice ninja baby, come down from the ceiling. You know that makes brother nervous." Ron said helplessly as Hana continued to circle the room.

Three sharp raps on the door broke Hana's concentration causing her to fall from the ceiling. Ron dashed madly across the empty living room to make the catch. Hana was unaffected by the excitement as she reached up from Ron's arms and squeezed his nose, "Brother, brother, brother…"

In a nasally voice Ron said excitedly, "Nose, watch the nose…"

"hnk' Let go…" Rufus said excitedly as Ron now had him in a death grip.

Releasing the grip on the naked mole rat, Ron gave his apologies, "Sorry buddy…"

The knocks came again from the front door. Hana struggled to get down but Ron held firm to the struggling toddler, "Let's see who's at the door. Won't that be fun?"

Struggling with Hana he made his way to the door. Opening it he saw David Franks and another boy standing at the top of the narrow stairs. "Hey…Dave, what brings you over?"

"Hey Ron, can we come inside?" Dave asked pointing inside the Stoppable's mobile home.

Ron stepped back inside to allow the two to enter. David a boy of a build similar to Ron's except with dark curly hair. The other boy was younger. Ron guessed he was about 15. "I'd offer you a place to sit, but we don't have one yet."

Dave grinned, "Who does?" Pointing towards the younger boy he made the introductions. "This is my younger brother Josh."

Ron waved at him, "Hey, this is my badical little sister Hana."

Looking at the struggling toddler, Dave grinned, "Oh yea, seen around the Temple with your folks. That was before this whole mess. Tough luck on what happened today at the Red Cross."

The memory of both he and Kim running from the small angry crowd made him shiver. "Yea, tough luck…"

With pleasantries out of the way, it was time for David to get down to business. Looking around the mobile home to make certain they were alone. David filled in Ron on the details of what he was up to. "Over at the Red Cross we over heard a couple of guys in the National Guard talking. All the people that are being taken out of here to Boulder, the Government is forcing them to be bar coded in order to receive aid."

Ron shook his head in disbelief. Being of the Jewish faith and the memories of World War II death camps and their tattooed identification numbers still a living reminder of their past. A past in which all Jews were marked for extermination, and forced to live in concentration camps only existed in old black and white movies and stories. Now it was suddenly much more real to Ron. It was going to happen here, but it couldn't happen here, could it? Surely not he thought, "No way…"

Dave nodded his head, "Oh yea, right up the left arm. Just like the Nazi's did. So a group of us got together and decided we're not going to take this lying down. We're going through some of the destroyed houses looking for weapons. What I need to know is can we count on you to fight if they come here?"

"What…fight?" Ron said trying to piece this whole new picture together in his head to make it understandable to him.

"Or are you going to just let them roll in here and barcode your mother and…" Dave pointed towards Hana, "…your little sister."

"NO, no one's going to barcode my family." Ron said angrily.

Dave grinned wickedly, "I knew we could count on you. If they think we're going down without a fight they've got another thing coming. As soon as we can get some guns together we'll be back in touch."

* * *

"THAT'S THE STYLE, TAKE THAT ROCK TO THE HOUSE!" Ron screamed as he jumped to his feet to cheer for the team he created more than 30 years ago.

Eaton was startled and looked around quickly to see what happened. He looked over towards Myracle for an explanation. "What?"

Shrugging Myracle smiled, "The Rams quarterback just hit a wide out running a post route for a quick six."

"Oh…" Eaton mumbled. Now he was beginning to realize why no one else wanted to go to the game with them.

Clapping his hands Ron glanced towards the others, "A little slow developing but he put the ball over his left shoulder so only he could catch it. Great pass play."

Eaton shook his head, "I don't recall hearing about bar coding people back then."

Ron sat back down in his seat, "What? Oh no, it was just one of those wild rumors you hear about when there's a catastrophe." Chuckling Ron leaned over, "Like 20 kids armed with hunting rifles is going to fight off a trained military. We would have been swatted like bugs."

"So there never was a reason to start the gang?" Eaton asked trying to find out more information.

"Well…we served other purposes. We kept watch on the neighborhood at night. We mostly protected ourselves from the other neighborhood gangs." Ron explained.

"You do a lot of fighting?" Eaton asked.

Ron grinned, "Nope, we were a pretty quiet neighborhood. What was the concern was that we were on the way to other neighborhoods that weren't so quiet."

"So what kind of gun did you get?" Eaton asked, the tone of voice reflecting his disappointment that Ron wasn't in the thick of any of the great battles that had happened in his day.

Ron grinned noting his tone, "Not what you wanted to hear, right?"

Eaton smiled weakly, "No, no, I just thought…all the neighborhoods fought back then."

"Well if you had any rednecks, criminals or assholes, in the neighborhood you generally saw fighting. Let's see…" Ron said trying to remember when he was given a rifle. "…Dave gave me an old bolt action rifle and a box of bullets. It was the same day Monique moved in."

"So you didn't get a gun right away?" Eaton asked his tone perking up with the mention of the gun.

Grinning Ron filled him in further, "The bar code scare went away, plus they had to find the guns. I think I had a .257 Roberts…I don't know guns that well but that was on the box of shells."

Eaton grinned, "So they gave you, a person without any background in firearms a gun?"

Laughing the old man nodded, "Yea, none of us had any experience with guns. They showed me how to load, unload it and a rudimentary idea about how to aim and fire the gun. That was boot camp for me."

"So how did your family feel about you having a gun? I bet Monique wasn't happy about it." Eaton inquired.

Ron shrugged, "They didn't know. By that time we had plastic skirting around the mobile home. So the night I got the gun, I pulled a section of skirting out, stashed the gun and bullets under the house. No one knew, or at least I thought no one knew."

Eaton chuckled, "Let me guess your mom found out?"

"Nope, Dad found it. I'm not sure when he found it, but he knew." Ron said with a wry grin.

"So you did guard duty for the neighborhood. What was that like?" Eaton asked expectantly.

Grinning Ron told him, "I'm not really sure. I slept through most of my shifts."

* * *

"Ron wake up, they're coming, they're coming." Someone whispered into his ear in order to get the sleeping boy's attention.

Not being sure of exactly where he war Ron lifted his head and looked around. Now he remembered. He along with the other boys of the Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood had secreted themselves along a tree line about a mile out of the neighborhood. The tree line ran the length of State Highway OO where the neighborhood was located.

Their mission tonight was to make sure a group of thugs from the Oakridge Neighborhood didn't get bored or lost on their way to attack Elk Creek Neighborhood a neighborhood they believed to be heavily populated by Mexicans. Then they would remain after the attack was over to make sure their return trip also didn't include a run into their neighborhood.

Squinting into the darkness Ron could just barely see shapes taking form down the gravel road. He could hear the rhythmic crunch, crunch, crunch of a group of people heading their way. After a short time he could hear voices. They weren't loud but in the darkness sound carried. A laugh drifted to where he was hiding. Frowning Ron thought these guys sounded a little too eager for a fight.

"Don't shoot at them unless we're spotted." David Franks whispered into his ear.

Nodding his head to show that he understood Ron pressed himself into the dirt further. He was determined if they were going to be spotted, it wouldn't be he, who was the one they saw first. His hands shook as it gripped the rifle. He terribly wished he was back home or at work at Smarty Mart.

Now in the light of a crescent moon he could see men with guns. No, he thought boys with guns for they didn't look much older than he was. The shapes had risen in front of him as if they had sprung from the gravel road itself. Ron counted as they drew near to where he was at, 18, no 17 men carrying a various assortment of hunting rifles. Now he could hear they're raspy voices as they talked to one another.

"_Once we open up on them, how fast do you think those dirty Mexicans will run back south?"_

"_If I have my way there won't be enough of them left to run."_

"_What do you think the next target should be, Doe Run?"_

There was no answer. Ron fought back a grin. From all the stories he had heard coming out of the Doe Run Neighborhood, it was not a place you went out of your way to visit. Monique's refusal to go back there was proof enough to Ron that the stories he was hearing were probably true.

Now he could see their backs as they passed by. Thinking to himself it all sounded like some kind of sporting event, Oakridge versus Elk Creek. Only this time the game was to be far more deadly than any of those guys walking down the road would expect.

His breathing returning to normal as the figures vanished into the distance, a quick prayer of thanks was offered up. Closing his eyes he tried to return to sleep. The routine at Smarty Mart was returning to more or less normal these days. He wasn't working the long hours but the shifts were tiring all the same.

The grocery side of the store had been restocked and walled off from the rest of the store. Customers would submit their requests at the counter and stock boys would fill the orders. Bottled water and meat were being rationed. If customers wanted they're weekly allotment they had to produce the required yellow and red ration books.

The arrival of food also meant that the Stoppable's plus Monique were eating better these days. While things were still tight, he was proud of the fact that they would never again have to resort to eating dog food.

The black market had already sprung up. Ron had become quite the player. He had parlayed his job at Smarty Mart to secure the vehicle he was now driving, an emerald green 1987 Ford Ranger pickup truck with a 4 cylinder engine and an automatic transmission. True the vehicle had heavy damage on the passenger side from the Lowardian attack but it ran and he was able to smuggle home much large quantities of food and necessities to not only his family but to the neighborhood as a whole.

In return for the vehicle that Ron now owned that was older than he was. He only had to give the old farmer 25 pounds of ground chuck, 2 cases of Coors Light beer, a pint of Jack Daniels, and 4 cartons of Camel cigarettes. The man wanted the real cigarettes, not the cheap generic cigarettes that people were passing off as Camel cigarettes.

Ron smirked as he thought of the old truck, _"One of these days I'm going to be rich. When I am there will be no more little blue scooters or wrecked old trucks."_

At least Kim was getting out more, even if it was only to Smarty Mart to have sex with him in the parking lot. His little run in with her brothers a week ago had made returning to Country Club Meadows impossible.

The sex was great, usually only requiring Ron to lay there while Kim did all the work. What he found worrisome was some of the things that Kim would say during sex. The whole 'I only feel alive when I'm with you' line in particular was troubling. She was also clingy. It was always he that was clingy. Kim just wasn't herself these days. He had tried to broach the subject but Kim wasn't interested in pursuing the conversation. So he let it drop.

Gun fire in the distance caught their attention. David ran up and down the line, "Let's move further up the road so we're between those guys coming home and the neighborhood."

Getting to his feet he jogged along after the other guys. The sound of gunfire dissipating in the distance, the group knew whether those guys won or lost. They would be coming back soon. David directed them into the tree line. "Lay here Ron…I don't think there's any poison oak there."

Going to the ground Ron groaned, "Poison oak that's all I need."

A short time later the guys that Ron had saw pass by earlier were now running back towards home. Most having thrown away their rifles to gain speed for the retreat, Ron only counted 12 on the return trip and two looked like they were hurting.

David grinned and gathered everyone around after he was sure the guys from Oakridge were well down the road. "I don't think they actually got to Elk Creek. I think the guys down at Elk Creek did the same thing we were doing. Jumped them before they could get near their homes, mission accomplished. Let's call it a night."

* * *

"FALL ON THE BALL, FALL ON THE BALL!" Ron screamed as he pointed at the loose football on the ground.

Myracle laughed, "That boy ain't gonna be right till sometime next week."

"He got clobbered that's for sure." Ron grinned.

"So that was your extent with the neighborhood gangs? I thought you said you actually had to shoot at someone?" Eaton asked.

Steven cut into the conversation, "The gunfight that put Dad into college."

Ron chuckled, "That wasn't the reason but I was sure happy it worked out like that."

Eaton grinned, "I've got to hear about this."

"Well, we had an invasion of general laborers come into the area. Back East they were running ads on the radio for workers. They were promising a $125.00 an hour to come rebuild Colorado. They showed up, found out there wasn't any work. Then things kind of got ugly." Ron explained.

"So if there was nothing to do, they turned their attention towards unhealthy pursuits." Eaton said.

Ron nodded his head, "They would camp on the outskirts of the neighborhoods and look for female companionship during the day. When I saw the father unknown line on your birth certificate, I was thinking that one of these workers might be the father."

"I never had any information on my father." Eaton said flatly.

"Well the only time I ever shot that rifle was at two guys in a truck. They were trying to pull a girl named Julia Houser out of her home for some…fun." Ron said bitterly.

* * *

"Remember don't fire unless you see David shoot." Gary Weis whispered next to Ron as they both lay in the dirt pointing their rifles down the dirt road at a red Chevrolet pickup truck. It was parked on the outskirts of the Pheasant Ridge neighborhood.

Having a night off from Smarty Mart, Ron had hoped to spend the evening with Kim. Having no way to get in touch with her, it just wasn't meant to be. Right now Ron would rather be any place on the planet than lying on the ground in the dark, with a rifle.

David Franks and Geoff Tate were down the street attempting to get the men to leave the mobile home of the Houser family. They had spotted Julia at the Red Cross tent earlier in the day. She had made the mistake of telling them where she lived and now it was dark, they had been drinking and they desired her companionship.

Having never fired a gun before Ron had the rifle pointed in the general direction of the red pickup truck. Watching David try to talk to these guys, he had the sinking feeling that it wasn't going all that well. The men in the truck were loud. He couldn't tell what they were saying but he guessed he wasn't friendly.

All the homes in the neighborhood were dark as it was after ten o'clock when the diesel generators were shut down for the night. The yelling and screaming down the street was not attracting much attention. Probably Ron thought was because they were afraid of getting involved and getting themselves or their families injured in the process.

Looking back towards the mobile home that was the center of attention, Julia had already ran back inside with her husband who was now outside making just as much noise as the men beside the pickup truck. Letting out a deep breath Ron mumbled, "Come on guys, call it a night."

Now there was silence as the disagreeing parties stared at one another. Finally David pulled out a handgun and shot one of the men twice. Chaos insude as David, Geoff and Julia's husband fled in one direction and the men fled towards their truck cursing and screaming threats.

Once their friends were clear, the most deafening sound Ron had ever heard since the Lowardian attack was now resounding all around him as everyone had opened up on the pickup truck.

Aiming as much by guess as by sights, Ron squeezed the trigger. He heard the gun go off, could feel the rifle press back into his shoulder. He pulled the trigger again, nothing. Remember it was a bolt action rifle. He worked the bolt as quickly as he could. He cursed silently, hoping those guys didn't have guns to shoot him as he was trying to load the gun.

Sparks flew off the truck as bullets ricocheted off the body. The headlights shot out the truck backed out onto the access road and sped away. Ron fired once more at the retreating form. Now there silence.

"you ok?' Gary asked him. His voice sounded as though he were across the neighborhood.

"WHAT?" Ron said as he looked around.

"ARE…YOU…OK?" The voice asked.

His ears were ringing from the gunfire, "I…THINK SO, MY EARS ARE RINGING."

Gary laughed, "SO ARE MINE."

Now people were poking their heads out of their mobile homes. Looking to see what had gone on and if anyone they knew had been hurt. Ron looked down the street to see his father stick his head out the door. Ron quickly crawled under another mobile home so he would remain out of sight.

"Let's go…" Gary said in an urgent whisper.

Ron couldn't understand what had been said but he understood as he followed Gary in a low crouch to the perimeter of the neighborhood and then out into the tree line that bordered it. They were heading towards the rallying point where they had started out from.

Ron was sweating and he was more than a little afraid. They made their way to the clearing. There were others waiting for them. This made Ron feel better it looked like they had all made it.

"Everyone make it out?" Gary asked one of the other boys.

"I think so?" Came an answer.

Gary Franks made it to the clearing. His breathing was heavy, "Looks like we all made it. Now let's get back home. The Highway Patrol will probably be calling tomorrow. No one knows anything, right."

Everyone agreed, no one would know anything if questions were every asked about this night. They split up in pairs, Ron and Gary heading back towards their homes. Gary waved to Ron, "See you later."

"Yea, see you later." Ron said as he made his way towards his home.

Sneaking through the rows of darkened mobile homes he found the one his family was living in. He could hear the crowd out in the streets and hoped his parents were outside with them. Pulling back the plastic skirting Ron shoved the rifle under the home and reattached the skirt.

Trying to look natural he made his way towards the street to join his family. Monique was the first to see him as he strode up to them. Looking at him in bewilderment, "What on earth have you been up to?"

Blinking unsure of what Monique was talking about, until she pointed at him. He was covered in dust from where he was laying in the dirt earlier. Trying to think of something to say as the rest of the family turned their attention to him, he coughed to buy time. "Well…uh…I fell down coming out of the house…"

Monique screwed up her face at the weak explanation, until she saw the pleading look in his eyes. "Oh yea, right…Those stairs are pretty…tricky." She said weakly.

Mrs. Stoppable pointed at her husband, "See I told you the steps need to be more secure. Ronnie could have been hurt."

Looking at Ron suspiciously, Walter Stoppable said, "Stair, eh."

Swallowing hard Ron needed to change the subject, "So what's going on?"

"You didn't hear all the shooting on the other side of the neighborhood." His mother asked.

Ron rubbed the back of his head, "Oh…that…I thought it was a car back firing or…something."

Mr. Stoppable narrowed his eyes, "Must have been a whole fleet of cars backfiring at the same time."

Growing more nervous by the second, Ron decided to call it a night. "I…think I'll head back in."

* * *

"So your father wasn't fooled." Eaton asked.

Grinning and nodding his head Ron said, "I don't think anyone was fooled except for Mom."

Eaton nodded his head, "It was a lame excuse. So what happened the next day?"

Ron sighed, "Well it was the best excuse I could think of at the time. Well the next day Highway Patrol paid me a visit and fate conspired to change my life forever."

* * *

Ron slept in late the next morning. He now had a mattress and a box springs but no bed frame as of yet. There was a knock on his door. It was his father trying to rouse him from a deep sleep. "Ronald, Ronald wake up. There are some Policemen here who want to talk to you."

Now his father had his full attention. His eyes flew open, _"Oh no, what do I tell them. Run, I have to run. No, wait what if they're not here about what happened last night."_

Scrambling to his feet, Ron quickly pulled on a pair of pants and a shirt. Looked out the back window, _"Maybe I should run, maybe the other guys said I was there. Maybe they know about the rifle under the house. Man if they find that, they could put my whole family out."_

Hands shaking Ron turned the door knob and walked towards the front of the house. He saw Monique sitting with Hana looking very frightened. Ron stepped into the living room and his blood turned cold as there were two Colorado Highway Patrolmen standing in the living room.

One of the officers addressed him, "Are you Ronald Stoppable."

Fighting both the urge to run and not to shake, he answered as best he could, "Yes"

The officer pointed towards the other officer, "I'm Officer Talbot and this is Officer Nance. We're investigating the shooting last night. Do you have any information about it?"

Ron's mind was a gone, as he watched Officer Talbot take out a note book. He didn't know what to say. If he told the truth the other guys would hate him. If he lied and the police found out about it, there would be hell to pay. The only thing Ron could think to do for now as lie, "No"

Officer Talbot frowned, "You don't know anything about it at all?"

"No" He said weakly.

"Where were you last night between the hours of 11:00 PM and Midnight?" Officer Talbot asked a follow up question.

Swallowing hard, Ron noticed he was beginning to sweat. It was early yet so the heat of the day hadn't set in yet. Ron shifted his weight from one foot to the other, "I…I was at work."

"Uh huh and where do you work at Mr. Stoppable?" Officer Talbot asked as he made a few notes in his notebook.

In a voice barely above a whisper, Ron answered, "Sssssss…Smarty Mart."

Officer Talbot turned to Officer Nance and told him to go out to the car and contact someone at Smarty Mart who could confirm Ron's alibi. Ron looked over to his parents, who now looked very frightened.

Officer Nance left the house for their patrol car. Officer Talbot turned back to Ron, "If someone can place you at Smarty Mart we'll move on. If no one can, well we'll cross that bridge then."

Knees shaking Ron stood in the living room fighting the urge to run for it. After what felt like hours, but in reality was only a few minutes Officer Nance returned, "We were able to get a car that was on site at Smarty Mart."

Ron felt faint, _"Oh man…"_

Officer Nance looked at his notebook, "The manager a man named Steve Barkin confirmed Mr. Stoppable was at work last night until early this morning."

Nodding his head Officer Talbot turned to face Ron, "Somehow I didn't think you were involved. You were the only young man in the neighborhood we were able to find."

Feeling sick to his stomach Ron smiled, "Ha, ha, ha, yea…"

"We'll be leaving now. So if you hear anything about the shooting last night, be sure to contact your local troop command post." Officer Talbot said as Mrs. Stoppable escorted the officers to the door.

Ron raised a hand that felt like it weighed a hundred pounds and tried to wave, "OK…"

Once the officers and Ron's parents were outside, Monique let out a deep breath and whispered, "You are so lucky. What were you thinking?"

"I…I don't know…" Ron whispered weakly.

Hana grinned happily, "Lucky, lucky, lucky…"

What color that was left in Ron's face quickly evaporated as Mr. and Mrs.Stoppable entered the house. Walter Stoppable frowned at his son, "Ronald, we need to talk."

"Oh man…" Ron groaned.

Before the talk could happen there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Stoppable jumped at the sound of the rapping, "They're back."

Walter Stoppable turned back to the door and opened it. "Oh…I remember you."

Ron tilted his head, "Who is it this time?"

Mr. Stoppable stepped away from the door, "Ronald, you remember Mr. Clemmons from the University of Wyoming?"

"Yea…yea, I remember Mr. Clemmons." Ron said woodenly as he tried to figure out how Mr. Clemmons was tied to the previous night.

Mike Clemmons the chief recruiter for the University of Wyoming stepped inside the house. Smiling he shook Ron's hand, "I saw the police leaving. I hope I didn't come at a bad time."

"NO…no…" Ron answered excitedly.

Looking towards Monique, Mr. Clemmns smiled, "I don't recall meeting you before. Are you Ronald's girlfriend?"

"Yes…I mean…no…I live here…" Monique answered, clearly embarrassed by her answer.

Mike Clemmons nodded his head, "I understand…I think. Well if you and your parents have a few minutes, I'd like to talk to you about accepting a football scholarship to the University of Wyoming."

Mrs. Stoppable screamed as Ron started to fall to floor, "Catch him, catch him."

It took a few minutes to bring Ron around. It had all been too much for him. He had gone from one end of the emotional spectrum to the other. From fear of going to jail or worse to having his dreams come true, all within the space of a few minutes.

Helping Ron into a chair, Mr. Clemmons outlined the Universities change of attitude towards offering their son a scholarship. Mike smiled at Ron, "Remember when I told you we couldn't offer you a scholarship because of your GPA?"

Ron nodded his head, "Yea…"

Opening his briefcase Mike pulled out a sheaf of papers, "The NCAA has decided to wave the Proposition 48 regulations requiring a minimum GPA of 2.00 for the student athletes in the states affected by the…comet strike. They have also agreed to allow schools that have lost athletes in the wake of the tragedy to be exempt from the regulations as well. To be frank Ron, the University of Wyoming recruits heavily in the state of Colorado, thus we have lost a lot of our student athletes in a short period of time."

It was becoming clear to Ron now. He hadn't thought about it but there were so many people lost in the Lowardian attack that it had cut across the whole spectrum of the population. Athletes were apt to die horrible deaths as was anyone else.

Mike brought Ron out of his thoughts, "So I have one scholarship left and I remembered you from the state championship football game. I tracked down Coach Steve Barkin and he confirmed that you were still alive and told me how to get here. He also told me you hadn't signed with any other school, so here I am."

Ron hadn't quite yet wrapped his mind around what he was being told, "Wow…"

"So…what do you think about going to college and playing football for the University of Wyoming?" Mike asked.

"Wow…" Ron said again in disbelief.

Mike looked at Ron strangely, "Laramie is a small college town, about the same size as Middleton before the disaster. You'd only be two hours from Denver and about five hours from home."

"Wow…" Ron said again, his eyes clouding over.

"Ronald, would you like to go to college in Wyoming?" His mother asked.

"Huh…" Ron said in a distant voice.

"You probably wouldn't be playing this year. You would be a red shirt freshman your first year until you find your feet academically." Mike said once again hoping to break through Ron's mental haze.

"No…I…I'd like to but…I can't leave Mom and Dad alone…" Ron suddenly said as he finally came back to reality.

Walter Stoppable chuckled as he got to his feet, "Nonsense Ronald…Let's go into your room and talk this over for a moment."

Ron stood up to follow his father into his room, "Dad…I can't leave you guys like this."

Mrs. Stoppable rose to accompany them but Mr. Stoppable held up a hand, "Connie, this is between Ronald and I. We must talk as men."

Connie Stoppable's eyes grew large, "Well…"

Making sure that his wife would not put up a fuss, Walter Stoppable followed his son into his plain half furnished room for a heart to heart talk. "Ronald, you are going to sign those papers and go to college. This is your best chance to get an education."

Shaking his head Ron argued, "If I'm not here how are you guys going to keep food in the house?"

"We are Jews Ronald. We will find a way to survive." Walter told him.

"Dad…" Ron said exasperation.

Walter held up a hand, "I know about the gun under the house. If you stay here you will get into trouble. Ronald there is nothing for you here anymore. Kim is leaving for Europe and if you don't take this opportunity for an education, you may never get another chance."

The knowledge that his father knew about the rifle silenced Ron's objections. His brush with the Police had convinced him that his dad was right. He sighed, "I want to go. I already lied to Kim and told her I was going."

"Now it wouldn't be a lie, would it?" His father said softly.

The two emerged from his room. Then he and his parents sat down to fill out the paper work for Ron to attend the fall semester at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. Ron sat down in front of Mike Clemmons, "I'll take the scholarship."

Mike smiled relieved that he wasn't going to have to travel any further into the interior of Colorado than he had to. "Good, I was afraid I was going to have to drive to Boulder. I've been hearing stories from around there. I'd just as soon head back into Nebraska and make my way home from there."

* * *

The group stood to leave. It was halftime but Ron had to leave early. It was time to head home for Thanksgiving dinner with his family and then to head to Coral Gables Florida to the University of Miami practice facility to finish preparing his team for the weekends big game in Boston.

Eaton followed the entourage to Lionel's SUV. The man was still on the ever present cell phone that he talked on incessantly. He now had a glimpse of just what the function of a gang was in the neighborhoods. The gangs served as a heavily armed neighborhood watch to protect their homes and families. Eaton paused while Ron signed a few more autographs in the parking lot. When they were finally alone he picked up the conversation, "So your father knew about the rifle under the house?"

Opening the door for the author Ron nodded, "Yea, it seems he spotted me lying on the ground once the shooting started. After the police left he was going to lay down the law. Either the gun goes or I would have to. Guns were against the rules in the neighborhood. Mom and Dad couldn't afford to lose what home they had."

Inside the SUV Lionel finally ended his cell phone call turned and looked to look at his father and said, "Smarty Mart contract is up at the end of December."

Grinning at Eaton, Ron proudly informed him, "Smarty Mart national spokesman for the last 30 some odd years."

Having saw more than his share of Ron in the Smarty Mart television commercials Eaton nodded his understanding. He didn't want to get sidetracked from his topic, sensing Ron was about to take off with the conversation in a different direction. "So did anyone ever get into trouble over the shooting?"

Ron looked at Eaton strangely, "No, who cares? They were from out of state. If the Police couldn't find anyone to pin it on right off the bat it was pushed aside. There were more important things to do then worry about people that didn't belong in the area."

Eaton nodded his head, "Hard way of looking at things."

Laughing Ron nodded, "Middleton mean, that's the way it goes. To show you what a small world it was back then, the doctor that patched up those two guys. Was none other than Dr. Anne Possible, brain surgeon turned general surgeon."

"How did you find that out?" Eaton asked.

Shrugging Ron told him, "Kim came out to Smarty Mart to bring me lunch the next day. She said her mom was called out late to treat a guy for gunshot wounds."

Eaton nodded, "Health care was pretty thin back then?"

Thinking it Ron tried to answer as best he could, "Well we had a doctor in the neighborhood. There were few and far between. If you had a real medical problem the Red Cross would take them to Omaha or Kansas City."

Myracle smiled, still thinking of her father's description of Eaton's old teddy bear, "When we get home, I'm going to tell Momma all about the possessed bear. She's going to think you've lost it."

"Well I think your mother will be thrilled Theodore is still around." Ron chuckled.

Eaton chuckled, "Think Theodore will remember you two after all these years?"

Ron closed his eyes and smiled, "I think Theodore will remember us and offer us a cigar."

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter Bonnie runs afoul of the bear.**


	9. Chapter 9

* * *

**A/N: A little fun with a different view from Homecoming Upset in this chapter. A little view at Ron's personal wealth, a little view of Ron and Kim protecting the young. Many thanks to AtomicFire, SwordBunny4486, Yankee Bard, NMR68, Joe Stoppinghem, Drakonis Aurous, Solarstone, Shthar, Quis Custodiet for their reviews.**

**Remember right a review receive a reply and always I hope you enjoy the chapter. **

**Bubba**

**P.S. New Knights of Zion chapter to follow soon. **

* * *

The little group sat out from Dolphins Stadium to return home to the Stoppable estate for Thanksgiving dinner. Eaton was enjoying the stories that Ron had been telling and was particularly intrigued with his story about her mother's teddy bear. Up to that point in time he had merely believed the bear to be nothing more than a stuffed animal that was found along with his mother's body. He was surprised to find that the bear had a much deeper meaning to Ron Stoppable and apparently his wife.

He was anxious to ask more questions about the bear but he figured he'd have to wait until they were alone. Ron Stoppable's youngest son Lionel was giving his father a rundown of business activities and quarterly performance reports of various investments that were set up for him many years ago. Eaton was spell bound by the numbers that were bounced back and forth, it was apparent that football had been very good to Ron.

"Charles Allen called earlier in the week and wants your assurance that you'll be at the annual shareholders meeting in February." Lionel informed him as they took the exit ramp onto I-95 heading south.

Ron glanced at Eaton, "Food Systems, Incorporated...When I was younger, I invented the Naco for Bueno Nacho. They gave me a 99 million dollar check when I was 16. I promptly lost it. So they put my money in a blind trust until I turned 30. Then my cousin Raffi, who was my agent and business manager back then, finagled me into being the majority share holder of the holding company who now owned the defunct restaurant chain..."

"Dad..." Lionel said waiting for an answer.

Sighing Ron interrupted his conversation with Eaton, "When is it?"

"February 18th, Waldorf Astoria Ball Room in New York."

"New York in February, do you have any idea how cold that's going to be?" Ron asked.

"I'll inform Mr. Allen that you'll be there then." Lionel said with a grin.

Myracle laughed, "He gets that from mom. If there's someplace she wants Dad to be. She just tells him he's going to be there."

Shaking his head Ron looked at Eaton, "My children are evil, evil I tell you."

Eaton grinned, "So I guess you're headed to New York in February then?"

Ron sighed, "I guess I am. Any way getting back to the story, Bueno Nacho went into bankruptcy after the Little Diablo toys were used in a plot to take over the world..."

"Which you and Kim Possible foiled back in 05 or was it 06?" Eaton asked.

Eying the author suspiciously Ron inquired, "So just how much do you know about what happened back then?"

Eaton shrugged, "Only that I was able to find in the newspaper morgue and on the internet. I hear it was a pretty good day for Team Possible."

"Pretty good day for Kim, I really didn't have much to do with it." Ron said evasively.

"Ah, that's what the papers reported."

Ron sighed, "Well in this case they were right. Anyway, Bueno Nacho was being used as a front company for the plot. So naturally you can imagine all the litigation that came about after the attack was foiled. So Bueno Nacho filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and was soon after purchased by Food Systems, Inc."

"They owned the Cow and Chow, Simple Simon's Chicken and I think at the time Dairy Freeze. So when I turned 30 the amount of money paid to me was enormous and Cousin Raffi did some numerical calculations and the next thing I know I'm majority share holder of Food Systems, Inc."

"That sounds pretty impressive." Eaton said.

"Yeah, so I end up on the board of directors and later was chairman of the board. I didn't really care for the corporate end of things so they voted me Chairman Emeritus, a fancy title where I have no real power but I still draw a check for serving on the board." Ron said with a shrug as he finished his story.

Lionel glanced back from the driver's seat. "It was impressive. Raffi took Dad's Naco money and engineered a deal that made him damn near the sole owner of this company. Dad still owns like...62 percent of the stock."

Ron pointed to Lionel, "My smart son, the one who didn't play football."

Steven shook his head, "Oh sure, just rub it in."

Eaton nodded his head, "Not to be rude...but your net worth must be equally impressive."

Shrugging Ron looked up at Lionel, "What are my numbers?"

"Oh...I think something like 1.645 billion...give or take a million here or there." Lionel said evenly.

Eaton's jaw dropped.

Ron grinned, "Kind of staggering isn't it. It's just numbers to me. You can't take it with you."

Deciding to change the subject, Lionel had been studying his father's agreement with the University. "Dad if the University fires you they will have to pay the remaining years of your contract, if you resign, you get nothing."

Bristling at Lionel, Ron gave his thoughts on his coaching situation, "I'm not quitting, they can fire me or..."

"Buy you out." Lionel finished for him.

"How much do they owe me for the next four years?" Ron asked.

Lionel thought for a moment, "I think just over 12 million. So if the Cain's win they'll approach us about a buyout if the Cain's lose they'll fire you... At least from what you've told me."

Ron smirked, "They're not going to part with that money easily. They'll try to talk me into doing the honorable thing and resigning first. The only problem is I don't want to resign and if they force me out... I want my fuckin' money."

"Daddy..." Myracle said to him to remind him she was in the car.

"Sorry Baby, I forgot to have you cover your ears." He said with a grin.

Eaton still stunned at Ron's net worth said, "You're worth 1.645 billion dollars and your worried about 12 million?"

Shrugging Ron said, "Give or take a million, and yeah...I am worried about the 12 million. It's not that I need it. It's just the principle of the thing."

Lionel chuckled, "Dad's very principled."

"So you really think they're going to try and push you out?" Eaton asked the billionaire he was sitting next to nervously.

Looking at Eaton and sighing Ron nodded his head. "It happens all the time. Eddy Weaver, Mississippi State University, coached for 12 years, always took his team to a major bowl game. A booster decides there's no fan excitement in the program anymore, gets a group of other like minded boosters together, offers the University a new sports dormitory in exchange for removing Coach Weaver. Mississippi State University has a really nice athletic dormitory. But it took the school ten years and two more head coaches to reclaim what they lost from Eddy leaving."

Lionel looked glanced into the backseat, "Big time litigation attorney in Portland just offered Oregon a 25 year $100,000 dollar scholarship package to fire Coach Oliveros."

Ron looked up, "When did that happen?"

"I heard it on the radio yesterday." Lionel told him.

Sighing and shaking his head, Ron looked back to Eaton, "Happens all the time."

Eaton shook his head in disbelief, "I don't get it, you just don't go out of the way to mess with winning teams."

Shrugging Steven said, "Most of these boosters have money and like to look important throwing it around. The Universities either dance to their tune or they'll take their money elsewhere."

Ron smiled, "I got on Tovella's bad side about 8 years ago. We lost a national championship game to USC, the next thing I know he and his cronies want me to fire all my assistant coaches. I didn't fire anyone and I've been a marked man ever since."

Eaton looked at Ron, "So this has been going on for a while then?"

Nodding his head, Ron added, "His plan to oust me only got traction since the beginning of the year. After we lost to Oklahoma in the national championship game back in January"

"You guys only lost by one point." Eaton said in disbelief.

Steven chuckled, "Yeah, but they still lost."

Ron grinned at his son, "Thanks for pointing that out son. Guys like Tovella think that we should be in the national championship game year after year. They have no clue about the amount of work that goes into building a competitive program much less taking one to a BCS title game."

"Not to seem rude but couldn't you just buy your way out of trouble?" Eaton asked.

A small rage flared in Ron's voice. "Hey, I've given that school enough financially over the years. They tell me to go home, I'll go home. If it turns out there memory is so sort as to remember what the program was like before I took over, then to hell with them. Of course if I decide to get into a check writing war with Dan Tovella...How long do you think he'd last Lionel?"

"Oh I think your check would have sufficiently more zeros than his. He wouldn't last but a few minutes. It would be sort of like killing a fly with a sledge hammer." Lionel said grinning.

Pointing to his son, Ron said, "The smart one that didn't play football."

"Ah..." Eaton mumbled, still in shock over Ron's estimated net worth.

"Look, I never coached for the money. I've always coached because it's what I enjoy doing and it keeps me from driving my wife out of her mind." Ron said with a grin.

Myracle chuckled, "Got that right."

"We're here..." Lionel said as swiped the key card in front of the card reader to open the security gate to the Stoppable estate.

Myracle grinned happily, "Ewwww, I hope my Ashton is here."

Ron turned to his daughter, "Who?"

"My boyfriend, Ashton Dunkin, we've been dating now for 5 months." Myracle said proudly.

"Why don't I know about Ashton?" Ron asked as he suddenly felt blindsided by his daughter's revelation.

"This is my way of telling you Daddy." Myracle said happily as she quickly jumped from the SUV as it came to a halt outside the front door.

Ron looked to his sons, "Why didn't either of you tell me about this."

Steven chuckled, "Dad, I'm in Tallahassee, I have no idea what's going on."

Lionel shook his head, "Don't look at me I'm over in Clearwater."

Looking very unhappy, Ron looked to Eaton, "Don't ever let your girls date. It'll drive you crazy."

Climbing out of the SUV, Ron looked up at the house. He did not appreciate being blind sided. He would have a little chat with Monique later about this he thought as he walked up the stairs to the entrance. Following his sons in the front door a smiling Myracle met him at the front door with her boyfriend.

"Daddy this is Ashton Dunkin." She said proudly.

The boy was a skinny six foot tall and had way too much blonde hair for Ron's comfort. The boy stuck out his hand confidently, "Mr. Stoppable, nice to finally meet you."

Ron took the boys hand and shook it. The grip was way too firm and his skin was way to clear from Ron's liking, "You Jewish?"

Ashton taken by surprise stammered, "No...no sir..."

Shaking his head, Ron mumbled under his breath, "Figures...they're all plotting against me. My whole family is out to get me."

"Sir?" Aston said, not quite hearing what Ron had to say.

Frowning at the lad, Ron said. "You look like one of the Oh Boyz."

"What?" Ashton said clearly confused by Ron's comment.

Ron wasn't waiting for a reply as he quickly asked a follow up question. "You play sports?"

Ashton nodded his head, "I'm the goal keeper on the high school lacrosse team."

"He's very good too." Monique said as she emerged from the kitchen.

Ron glanced at his wife and then back to Ashton, "Lacrosse, lacrosse...That's like football for fagots isn't it?"

Grinning Ashton said, "No, its full contact and we don't wear pads."

He had known what the sport of Lacrosse was. It was one of the more popular sports at the high school and college level. Still he didn't like how quickly he was coming up with all the answers to his questions. Frowning he looked at the boy, "They got to you."

"Excuse me..." Ashton said not quite understanding what Ron was getting at.

"The Stoppable women, they got to you. They told you what I was going to ask so you wouldn't be surprised didn't they?" Ron said accusingly.

Ashton grinned sheepishly, "Well sort of..."

Throwing up his hands in frustration, Ron looked at his smiling family. "It's a conspiracy. See how they all conspire against me."

Monique chuckled, "Grab a plate and get in line. You'll feel better after you've eaten."

Ron shook his head in defeat, "Well...I am a bit peckish. That hot dog and potato chips I ate at the game didn't last long."

"Potato what?" Monique said quickly.

Steven laughed, "You can't blame us this time, Dad."

Myracle smiled, "You tattled on yourself."

Monique put her hands on her hips, "You know you're not supposed to eat that junk. Think about your blood pressure."

Ron cringed, "It was one little bag."

Shaking her head at her husband who beat a hasty retreat for the kitchen, Monique said, "Eaton we have plenty of food, if you'd like to invite your family over."

Eaton looked up, "Oh no thank you. Chelsea is taking the kids to her brother's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Her brother and I...don't exactly get along."

Annie grinned, "It couldn't be any worse than Daddy and Uncle Jim and Tim."

Allison agreed, "Nothing is worse than trying to eat with Uncle Jim and Tim."

Monique forced a stiff grin on her face, "We will not discuss those two at the dinner table. We want your father in a good mood with company over."

Eaton chuckled, "He's mentioned Jim and Tim Possible before but never really went into why he...dislikes them."

Steven chuckled, "Hates a better word."

"And we won't talk about them today, because this is a happy day." Monique said forcefully to her son.

**

* * *

**

Having went through the serving line the family settled at the table to eat. Monique and Cheyenne had gone outside to make sure the grand kids were doing alright. Ron was still staring at the boy who had been dating his daughter for the last 5 months behind his back.

"I don't see why I have to sit in back with the kids and I'm older than she is." Matthew the 23 year old son of Ron's eldest daughter Cheyenne complained.

Ron looked at him incredulously, "You play in the NFL, you have a big check rolling in every two weeks and you can't find a date. What are you not doing right? You want to sit at the big table, next time bring a date."

Matthew groaned and turned to his mother, "Mom..."

Cheyenne grinned, "Oh no, you leave me out of it. Grandma did warn you."

Ron had a bite of turkey halfway up to his mouth when he glanced over at Lionel, "Seems to me he isn't the only one that's shy a date."

Lionel looked up at his father, "I'm in a committed relationship."

Ron raised an eyebrow, "Uh huh, you have kids with this woman. Time to marry her and bring her around, rather than hiding her away..."

"Dad, I'm not hiding her away, it's just her practice is in Orlando." Lionel protested.

He jerked a thumb towards the back of the house, "No date, out with the kids."

Lionel took his plate and stood up, "I'm not going to argue with you...I know how you are."

Looking at Eaton, Lionel pointed towards his left eye, "See this twitch? That's from him." He said as he pointed towards his father in frustration.

"See my lack of hair...That's from you guys." Ron said as he watched his youngest son gather up his utensils and drink.

Looking at Myracle, Lionel frowned, "This is entirely your fault."

Myracle smiled, "I brought a date."

Pointing at Ashton, Ron said, "No, it's entirely his fault. What did you say your name was again...Ashley?"

Matthew looked at Lionel as they left the room, "Race ya..."

Lionel was not happy about being ejected from the grown up table sneered, "Shut up or I'll shove your fat ass into the pool."

Shaking his head at the two boys, Ron muttered, "Kids..."

"Ashton, Daddy, not Ashley..." Myracle reminded him.

Annie, Allison and Cheyenne tried hard not to giggle. They had all sat through their father's hazing of their boyfriends in the past. Fortunately they had coached Myracle's boyfriend on what to say while Ron and the others were away at the football game. The boy was doing well so far, they thought.

"Whatever..." Ron said dismissively.

Ashton cleared his throat, "Ummm...I think you knew my Grandpa...He used to play for the Chargers."

Ron looked at the boy suspiciously, "I know a lot of grandpas. What's his name?"

"Davis...Davis Dunkin..." Ashton told him.

Nodding his head, Ron recognized the name. "Oh yea, middle linebacker from Florida A&M. Drafted a year before I was. Tried to cheap shot me in the 2013 wild card game...I hate him...and I'm not all that wild about you either."

Annie could contain herself no longer. The giggle fits had overcome her. She started giggling, that started Annie giggling, which started Cheyenne giggling. Soon the whole table was laughing. Annie held up a hand as she tried to stop laughing, "Sorry Dad, listening to you grill a boyfriend just brings back so many memories."

Monique returned to the room, "What'd I miss, what'd I miss?"

Steven looked at his mother, "Just Dad grilling Myracle's new man."

Miranda looked at Steven, "I hope you're not that bad when Kayla starts to date."

"Like father, like son..." Steven mumbled.

Ron looked at Monique, "I can't believe you all conspired against me."

Monique grinned, "We didn't conspire against you. We just..."

Struggling for the right word, she finally gave up "Well, we might have conspired against you a little bit."

Deciding the conversation was heading nowhere, Ron decided it was time for him to change the subject, "Hey...Eaton has Theodore."

Monique's eyes grew wide, "Your kidding..."

Ron shook his head, "Oh yeah, he has Theodore."

Turning to Eaton, Monique said, "I want to see him."

Annie lifted an eyebrow, "Whose Theodore?"

Myracle chuckled, "A possessed toy."

"Hush girl or you'll be banished to the kids table." Monique said as she turned back towards Eaton, "When can you bring him over?"

Eaton grinned, "You guys seem to know this bear pretty well."

Ron chuckled, "Oh yeah..."

Looking at Monique, Eaton decided to tease her a little, "So did Theodore take part in the great cheerleader riot?"

Monique smiled, "Oh no...Tara said Theodore went ahead to the hotel with her parents."

Eaton chuckled, "So Theodore was around for the high school championship game in Go City then?"

Ron shook his head, "Not exactly."

"The hotel had cable TV." Monique explained.

Thinking her parents had lost their minds, Myracle questioned her mother further. "So the teddy bear liked to watch TV?"

Monique narrowed her eyes, "Yes the bear liked to watch TV. Now you give me that look again, both you and Ashley will be out at the kids table."

"Ashton..." Ron corrected before he could catch himself.

"What?" Monique said as she looked at her husband.

"Oh...Theodore liked to watch TV." Ron said making a quick recovery.

"Right, right, Tara said, that as much as Theodore enjoyed a good football game. He liked American Star Maker more." Monique explained.

Eaton blinked at the two, "Oh..."

Nodding his head in agreement, "Theodore never missed a show."

"No, never..." Monique agreed.

"Hey did I ever tell you about the time I won American Star Maker?" Ron said excitedly.

"Don't Ron..." Monique urged quietly.

"Awwww yeah, Daddy was a hip hop star. The song, slash, homework assignment went like this. _Yo, Listen up, hap a holla from_ _Ron_..."

Monique, Steven, and Myracle quickly shouted their father down before he made an irretrievable fool of himself. Steven waved a finger at him, "NO, No, no...LIONEL GET IN HERE, DAD'S TRYING TO BE COOL!" He screamed towards the pool.

"Steven..." Monique scolded.

Steven held up his hands, "Sorry Mom. Dad, don't do this. Ronnie, Lionel, Myracle and I can get away with it. We have brother blood in us. You...you're just bad..."

Ron blinked at his middle son, "But I won."

Monique patted Ron's hand gently, "Dear, you were up against a mad scientist and a brain washing shampoo. It's not like there was a lot to choose from."

Annie's husband Otto the Greek pharmaceutical salesman raised his hand, "Does that mean, he will not sing the song for us?"

Frowning at her husband, Annie pointed to his plate, "Be a nice foreign national and eat your food."

"So Theodore liked American Star Maker?" Eaton cut into what he feared was about to become a massive family argument.

Ron looked at the author. He had quite forgotten he was there, "Oh...yea..."

Monique grinned, "Tell him about Theodore's argument with Bonnie."

"Oh yeah, it was the only time I ever heard your mother curse." Ron chuckled.

"She said the mother of all curse words too." Monique added.

Sitting up in his seat, "Myracle, Ashley, cover your ears." Ron said excitedly.

"It's Ashton..." Myracle reminded her father.

"Oh yeah...whatever..."

**

* * *

**

The big Middleton High School Homecoming Day Parade was fast approaching. Ron was helping Kim and the other cheerleaders finish the Cheer Squad Float. It was to be built on top of a 28 foot long utility trailer that would be pulled by Marcia Goodman's father's large pickup truck.

The wood box frame had been built and most of the float had already been constructed during the week. Tonight's project was to finish the float in time for the Homecoming Day Parade the next afternoon. The theme of the float was simple, "Pluck The Eagles!" The Easternton Eagles being the football team that the Middleton Mad Dogs and their star running back Ron Stoppable would be playing later that evening.

Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable and Rufus sat on top of the float cutting pieces of blue and white crate paper to glue onto the wooden platform. Kim would cut a small piece off the crate paper roll, wad up the small piece of paper to resemble something that resembled a flower and hand it to her boyfriend Ron to paste to the float. Or more often than not she would hand the crate paper flower to Rufus, because Ron was having focusing issues.

Ron was looking at the 'Pluck The Eagles!' lettering on the side of the float. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he was sure there was a problem. "KP are you sure that's going to be a 'P'? I mean after all it kind of looks like an 'F' from here and..."

"Don't say it Ron, this is going to be a family parade." Kim said sternly.

"Oh yeah, right..hee, hee, hee, well you know what it looks like." Ron said bashfully.

Kim giggled and shook her head, "Trust me it will say Pluck and not..."

"Mind the mole rat Kim, he's still very impressionable." Ron teased.

Rufus nodded his head, "hnk, yea impressionable..."

Rolling her eyes, Kim said, "Let's just finish the float."

Ron picked up a tube of white glue in his hands and squeezed a dab out onto his finger. Sticking it into his mouth, he tasted it. Looking towards Kim he noticed a rather bewildered expression on her face. "What?"

"Ron, glue is for gluing things, not eating." Kim reminded him.

Grinning Ron said, "I know that, I just wanted to see if tasted the same as when we were in pre-k."

Lifting an eyebrow skeptically at her boyfriend, Kim said, "Right, well...does it?"

"Does it what?" Ron asked now completely bewildered by her question.

Kim smirked, "Taste the same as it did when we were in pre-k."

"It lacks a certain...something. You want to try?" He said offering the glue to Kim.

"Pass" Kim said holding her hand out in front of her.

Looking down at Rufus, he offered him the glue, "You want to try it my little pink buddy?"

Rufus turned up his nose, "hnk' No way..."

The couple's attention was now shifted towards the entrance to Mr. Goodman's garage. A very weary Tara was being pursued by Bonnie Rockwaller. Kim shook her head, "She needs to lay off of Tara. Just because she doesn't have a boyfriend doesn't mean Tara has to dump Josh. I mean after all they just got back together." Kim said angrily.

Noticing Tara clutching a teddy bear tightly to her chest, as she tried to find a place to work where Bonnie wouldn't bother her. Ron leaned over to Kim, "She's gripping Theodore pretty tight. Bonnie must really be getting to her."

Kim shook her head in disgust, "This whole Bonnie without a boyfriend sitch is getting so old."

"Yeah, Brick cutting her loose has really unhinged her." Ron agreed.

"More than usual..." Kim said absently.

"What?" Ron said looking bewildered at his girlfriend.

Kim blinked, "More unhinged than usual?"

"Who?"

Kim said in a low voice, "Bonnie, she's more unhinged than usual."

Giving Kim a bewildered look, he said, "I thought I just said that."

Turning to her boyfriend, "Ron, are you hungry?"

Screwing up his face as he pondered the question, "Well now that you mention it. I am a bit peckish, why?"

"Focusing issues..."

Ron shook his head, "About what?"

Growling Kim threw up her hands in frustration, "That did it, I'm on a naco run."

Smiling and looking relieved, Ron said, "Good, you must be really hungry. You are just so random tonight."

Kim's mouth opened and closed as she tried to form words. Fortunately for her boyfriend, Tara walked up with Bonnie in tow. Tara waved the paw of a large brown bear, his black glass eyes appeared to twinkle. His small pink tongue sticking out of his mouth, appeared to be his form of a friendly greeting. "Hi Kim, Ron, Theodore says hello too."

"You know he's just trying to use you." Bonnie said to Tara without saying hello to either Kim or Ron.

Kim grinned, momentarily forgetting her frustration with her boyfriend she greeted Tara and Theodore. "Hi Tara, and Theodore is looking very dapper tonight."

Ron smiled, "A big Hi Ho to the T-Bear, looks like he's expecting a little rain this evening."

Theodore the bear was dressed for rain. He wore a yellow rubber rain cap, yellow rubber rain coat, complete with a pair of black rubber galoshes. Tara smiled, "Theodore believes in being prepared."

"The bear always wears the rain gear, forget the bear." Bonnie said angrily.

Tara's face was bright shade of crimson. She had undergone a nonstop Josh Mankey bashing barrage all day long from Bonnie and it was finally beginning to wear her down. Looking at the stuffed bear, Tara said. "Theodore likes Josh and doesn't think I should break up with him just to make you happy."

Bonnie glowered at the bear, "Tara, it's a bear. What does the bear know about boys?"

Kim shook her head, "Bonnie, lay off. Just because Tara's still going out with Josh doesn't mean she has to dump him because you don't have a boyfriend."

Ron agreed, "Yeah Queen Bon Bon, we tried to hook you up..."

Bonnie placed her hand over her chest and feigned shock. "You honestly think this is about me? I am just looking out for Tara's best interests." Leering at Ron, Bonnie said, "Besides, I've already got a royal date for the homecoming dance on Saturday."

Kim and Ron looked to one another and then back to Bonnie. They both broke out in the giggles, "Yeah right..." Kim said trying hard to look offended.

Ron stepped behind her and wrapped his arms around Kim's waist and nuzzled her neck. "I may be the Homecoming King and you may be the Homecoming Queen. But there's nothing ever going to come between my BFGF."

Bonnie rolled her eyes, "Oh please..."

Pushing Ron's face away, Kim blushed in embarrassment, "Ron...not in front of Theodore..."

Tara smiled happily at the loving couple and then frowned at Theodore, "No, you can not offer them cigars...nasty old bear."

Eyeing the bear angrily, "Tara, forget the bear. The bear doesn't know about these things the way I do. If Josh really cared about you, he'd be out here tonight helping out."

Her momentary cheeriness faded away as she began to adjust Theodore's rain coat. "Josh is busy with his band rehearsing for the dance."

Kim sighed, "Bonnie..."

Bonnie's face was turning red as she was becoming angry. "It's the bear isn't it Tara? You used to listen to me before that bear came into the picture. Well what the bear doesn't know is that Josh is right now out on a date with Zita Flores. What do you think about that Tara? I bet the bear didn't tell your dumb ass about that did he?"

"Bonnie..." Kim gasped.

Tara kept pulling at Theodore's rain coat. Her face was red and for a moment Ron thought she was going to burst into tears. Tara's blue eyes turned ice cold as she turned to Bonnie and said through pursed lips, "Bonnie...Theodore thinks you need to shut the fuck up."

Ron's mouth fell open. He had never heard Tara use that kind of language before. Kim gasped once again in shock, "Tara..."

The blood was now rushing to Bonnie's face. Her temper was working its way towards an eruption. Instead of Tara being the focus of the rage, it was a stuffed brown bear dressed in children's rain gear. Her black eyes met with the expressionless black glass eyes of Theodore. Her arms went ridged against the side of her body as looked at Theodore's pink tongue sticking out at her, mocking her.

Hearing Tara use the big 'F' word the other girls gather around, fueling Bonnie's rage even further. Pointing at the stuffed bear Bonnie erupted. "YOU...YOU...YOU DIRTY FUCKING BEAR...It's all your fault, there may be too many witnesses now but one day...one day bear...you're going to be all alone. Then I'll strike...AS GOD AS MY WITNESS I WILL BITCH SLAP YOUR ASS BACK TO TOYS 'R' US WHERE YOU BELONG!"

"ROCKWALLER, WHAT IS YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION!" Steve Barkin, barked out in his most commanding military voice.

Bonnie tilted her head, wondering why Mr. Barkin was in the garage. It didn't matter, he couldn't do anything to her, it wasn't during school hours, "I'M GOING TO FEED THAT FUCKING BEAR TO MY GARBAGE DISPOSAL, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT THEODORE! I DON'T SEE YOU LAUGHING NOW, WHO'S LAUGHING NOW BEAR?"

Barkin lifted an eyebrow, "Rockwaller, you do realize you are threatening an inanimate object."

Her eye's bulging out of their sockets. Bonnie thrust an accusing finger at the bear and screamed, "HE STARTED IT!"

"DETENTION!" Barkin said firmly.

Bonnie's head tilted to the left in disbelief, "You can't give me detention, we're not in school."

Looking at the half finished parade float, Barkin cleared up Bonnie's misconception. "You are working on a school project. You are working on a project that projects an image of good sportsmanship and school spirit for the whole city to see and be proud of. So you get a detention and I'm going to talk to the nurse about giving you a...psychological evaluation."

Bonnie crossed her arms, glared at Theodore and said bitterly. "I knew I never should have pissed off that bear."

**

* * *

**

The table had finally finished laughing at Ron's story. Monique motioned that Myracle and Aston could now remove their hands from their ears. Monique then looked at Ron, "Weren't you Bonnie's date for the homecoming dance?"

Ron screwed up his face as he tried to remember, "No, no I was officially Kim's date. Bonnie and I were just homecoming king and queen."

Monique giggled, "Oh I don't know. I mean, I heard about the way you two were kissing. I thought Kim was going to come out of her skin. Especially when you ran your hands down Bonnie's back to her behind and felt her..."

"NOW THAT NEVER HAPPENED." Ron protested, "She kissed me...I was as surprised as anyone."

"Right, I guess that's why Kim said it took you 12 years to kiss her. I guess she was just getting you warmed up for kissing other girls." Monique said with a wink.

"No...no...she didn't really say that did she?" Ron said as a slight blush came over him.

Monique chuckled, "Oh yeah...I haven't seen her that jealous..." She let the thought trail off.

"Since she found out we were married." Ron finished for her.

Shrugging Monique smiled, "I was going to say since the 10 year high school reunion."

"Oh yeah, drunk and newly divorced Bonnie Rockwaller..." Ron said shaking his head.

Monique frowned, "That drunken ho' hanging all over you. I thought both Kim and I were going to pound her that night."

Steven feeling a bit mischievous decided to broach a forbidden subject. "So Dad, when you guys were putting together that float was Jim and Tim Possible there?"

Ron narrowed his eyes at Steven, "I suppose they were."

"So what did they think about Theodore." A grinning Steven asked.

"They were Residents, who gives a fuck what they think about anything." Ron answered bitterly.

Steven's wife Miranda looked at him sternly. "Soon ain't no one gonna care what you think because I'm about to lay into your ass."

Ron stood up abruptly, "I think I'm up for seconds."

After Ron left the dining room, Monique looked at Steven, "You're pushin' it..."

Myracle looked at her mother, "Why does Daddy always have to be mean to my boyfriends?"

Giggling Cheyenne held up her hand, "Oh, that's my fault."

Allison and Annie nodded and pointed towards their older half sister. "She's right, it was all her fault."

Cheyenne looked over at Eaton, "I got pregnant with Matthew when I was 16. I was going to run away from home. I bought a bus ticket for Phoenix Arizona, which was as far away as I could get with the money I had. I thought Daddy was going to kill me."

Monique nodded her head, "Oh he wasn't happy..."

"Somehow, Daddy found out about me being at the bus station. I remember he scared me when he sat down next to me." Cheyenne deepened her voice, "So...Where you headed?"

**

* * *

**

"So where you headed?"

A very frightened 16 year old Cheyenne Stoppable looked up at her father who had just sat down next to her. She thought about trying to run, but quickly figured that it wouldn't matter. If he could find her here so quickly he could find her anywhere. So taking a deep breath the skinny teenager told her father, "Phoenix..."

Ron Stoppable nodded his head, "Phoenix...I played in a Super Bowl in Phoenix...or was it Tempe? Anyway its very hot there...Why Phoenix?"

Cheyenne was looking at the ground, she shrugged.

"I'd miss you, you know. It used to be just me and you...Remember?" Ron said sadly.

She started to cry, nodding her head she said. "I remember..."

"Are you and Monique not getting along?" Ron asked.

"No...I...I'm pregnant..." Cheyenne told him before she quickly turned away. She was awaiting the inevitable wrath of her father. It never came, he was calm, cool and collected and this made her feel almost worse than if he had yelled at her.

Ron let out a deep breath, "Well...if you run away to Phoenix...you'll still be pregnant...and very hot."

Chuckling, Cheyenne agreed, "Yeah..."

"So what do you want to do?" Ron asked softly.

Cheyenne shrugged, "I don't know."

Ron sighed, "Well let's go home and see if we can figure out what to do..."

**

* * *

**

"So did Dad kill your boyfriend?" Myracle asked.

Cheyenne smiled, "No...He just ruthlessly pursued him through the court system. Had him charged with statutory rape and then nailed him for the medical bills and child support."

Monique smiled, "Your father wanted to kill him though."

Ron returned to the room, "Who did I want to kill this time?"

"Roger Smith..." Cheyenne smiled.

Nodding his head, "Ah yes, you were dating his little brother and somehow the older 22 year old brother in college gets you pregnant...He was an adult, he was fair game..."

Cheyenne frowned and shook her head, "He's still scared to death of you."

"Good" Ron said looking over to Myracle's boyfriend Aston. "Fear is a good thing, keeps us in line."

"How did you know I was at that bus station?" Cheyenne asked, having never heard how he found her.

Ron looked at Ashton, "I had all my daughters fitted with GPS transceivers at birth. If they go somewhere I don't approve of with a boy...I find them and I pound the boy...I protect my own."

Myracle glared at him, "Daddy..."

Chuckling Ron shrugged, "Fear is a good thing...Well, how did I know?"

Monique smiled, "How did you know?"

Sitting back in his seat Ron looked down the table at his oldest daughter. "Coral Gables can be a very small town at times. You went to a clinic in downtown Miami...A cheerleader was there for a similar inquiry. She told her boyfriend on the team, he told other teammates about what she said. Those teammates told a graduate assistant, who told an assistant coach, who told a receiver coach named Tyler Gerstner...You remember Tyler, Monique?"

"I remember a Tyler G, who tried to feel me up a Christmas party." Monique said with a smirk.

"The same Tyler G, I fired at the end of the season...The same Tyler G that is coaching at Slippery Rock in Division 2...anyway...he came into my office and said, 'Hey, what's up Grandpa?' I look at him and he tells me all about what is going around." Ron said looking sternly down the table at his oldest daughter.

"So you knew I was pregnant already?" Cheyenne said incredulously.

"Yep"

Annie chuckled, "Dad really does know more than he lets on."

"So how did you know she was at the bus station?" Monique asked.

"Another player popped in and said, 'Hey was that Cheyenne I saw down at the bus station.' I put 2 and 2 together came up with 5 and drove like a maniac to Miami Beach to catch you."

Cheyenne shook her head in amazement, "All this time you knew I was pregnant and you never told me."

Glancing up from his plate, Ron said. "I wanted to hear it from you."

David Thatcher, Cheyenne's husband patted her hand, "He knew before you told him you were pregnant with Davey."

Looking positively stunned, Cheyenne looked at him, "How?"

Ron grinned and pointed to Monique, "She told me."

Reading the woman's mind, Monique pointed towards David, "He told me."

Cheyenne slapped her husbands arm playfully, "You jerk..."

Ashton cleared his throat, "So...so did...did you ever..."

"Did I ever, what?" Ron asked smiling evilly.

"Punch...never mind..." The boy said quickly.

Annie started laughing, "Yes, yes he did punch a boyfriend."

Monique grinned, "He punched out one of Annie's boyfriend's right outside the security gate."

Annie laughed, "Yeah..."

Allison grinned, "It was something to see, he was crawling around on his hands and knees looking for his teeth."

"Teeth..." Ashton said nervously.

"Teeth..." Monique confirmed.

"I was attracted to the bad boys back then. One summer I started dating this guy named Damien Strasser...His nickname was Stash because he always had a stash of drugs handy." Annie said grinning at the memory of the young man.

Allison rolled her eyes, "He was soooooooo handsome..."

Annie nodded her head, "He was tall, not an ounce of fat on him, just a hint of muscle, long black hair..."

"Long greasy black hair..." Ron added.

"I was going to be a senior in high school when I met him. He was dangerous, he dealt drugs...He was sooooooo cool." Annie chuckled.

"He is so dead." Ron reminded her.

"True...So I knew I had the right bad boy the day he came over and Dad tried to put him through the paces. He looked at Dad and said, fuck you old man..." Annie started laughing.

Monique looked at Myracle, "I had to pull your father off to keep him beating the hell out of him in the family room."

Ron glared at Monique, "After that he thought he could do anything and you'd always pull me off of him."

"Honey it was either, pull you off of him or wait for you to get out of jail after you were convicted of manslaughter." Monique reminded him.

Grinning Ron said, "I was in control. I was just going to punch him a few times and see if he'd change that tune of his."

Ashton slumped down in his chair.

Ron saw the boy looking pale, "You alright?"

Myracle elbowed her boyfriend, "Sit up straight."

Annie grinned at him, "Don't worry, mind your manners and I don't think Daddy will hurt you..."

"Much..." Ron added

Allison giggled, "He had that car..."

"Ohhhhhh yeaaaaaa, he had this blue 2012 Nissan Z something. Twenty inch wheels, neon, thumping sound system...We used to cruise...smoke weed..." Annie said grinning at the memory.

"The car you got busted in." Ron reminded her.

Annie grinned at her father, "Yeah the car I got busted in. We got pulled over in Hollywood Florida. Stash doesn't want to get into trouble so he dumps all his drugs in my purse. Then he tells me if I don't say their mine, he's going to beat the hell out of me."

Allison smiled, "Not a wise thing to do."

"No, no it wasn't. I was so mad at him...Dad bails me out of jail, he's so mad at me and at him. I told him I was done with him." Annie said shaking her head.

Ron frowned, "I got a restraining order against him because he wouldn't leave you alone..."

Monique shook her head, "The boy wouldn't take no for an answer. He kept coming over all times of the day and night."

Annie nodded, "So it all came to a head one night. He comes to the gate and pushes the button. He wants to talk to me. Dad walks out to the gate."

Allison grinning, "I was in Annie's room. We were in the dark with the window open and peeking over the window sill."

"So Dad goes out there and they're talking, we can't hear what there saying. Then Dad punches him." Annie laughed.

Allison picked up the story, "Stash drops like a rock."

"But does Stash stay down? Noooooooooo, after he finds his teeth he gets up and takes a swing and Dad." Annie laughed.

Dropping her voice to imitate her father, Allison said, "Did you just hit me? Is that the best you can do? Then Daddy punched him again, knocking him to the ground."

Steven smiled, "That's about the time Ronnie and I ran out and asked if Dad needed help."

Annie laughed, "Mom...mom..." She said pointing at Monique, "Tells them to get back inside, because Daddy don't need no help showin' this dirtball how we do things in Middleton."

Monique grinned, "It had been a long time since I saw your father kick ass."

Ron shook his head, "It wasn't that bad of a fight..."

Allison laughing shook her head, "Oh yes it was, we could see blood pouring out of Stash's mouth."

"So Stash, being the genius that he is pulls himself off the ground and charges Daddy. Daddy jumps into the air, kicks him in the chest, lifts him off the ground. Stash flies onto the hood of his car, bounces off of the hood into the windshield." Annie said grinning.

Allison smiled, "Daddy puts his hands on his hips and, in his coach's voice..."

"His Barkin voice..." Monique corrected her.

"...says, Cheese and Crackers, I don't know about you boy, but I can do this all night long."

Steven began laughing and pounding the table, "He rolls off the car screaming about all the bad things he's going to do to all of us."

Annie rolled her eyes, "He had these powerful Colombian friends..."

Ron shook his head, glanced at Eaton, "The boy apparently didn't have that good of friends he was dead a week or two later."

"Yeah...they found him in Tampa handcuffed to the bottom of a marker buoy with a dime bag shoved in his mouth." Annie said sadly. She then looked up at her father, "What did he say to get you to punch him?"

Chuckling Ron shrugged, "How he was never going to leave you alone, how much in love you both were, all the things you did to him in the backseat of the Nissan..."

"No he didn't." Annie gasped.

"Oh yeah..."

Frowning Annie said, "Glad I got over the bad boys. I don't feel bad at all now...He deserved what he got."

"It couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." Ron said with a grin.

**

* * *

**

Football season was fast approaching. His players were going to be reporting to school and he would not have the time to keep up with Annie or Stash. Something had to be done, and done quickly. _"He has powerful friends, well so do I."_

He walked back into the house, whispered to Monique he had to make a call. Stepping into his office he took out his keys and unlocked a drawer and took out a small black book. Opening the book to the first page he looked at the cell phone numbers.

Years before Kim Possible had given him a list of ten cell phone numbers only to be called if he needed her. He was to call a new number each time he contacted her, if he reached the end of the list he was to start over again from the beginning. He had called her twice before.

The first time he called was a test, and that was fine. The second time he called was to remind her of the girl's upcoming birthdays. Well that wasn't fine. Kim chewed him out for thinking she didn't know when her own kid's birthdays were. Then she told him never to call unless it was a life and death emergency. Thinking about it for a moment, _"Yea I think having that punk threatening Annie, qualifies as a life and death emergency."_

Looking at the third number he picked up the phone and dialed the third number. The phone rang three times before it was answered by a woman, _"Yes"_

"We have a situation." Ron said quietly.

"_What?"_

Shaking his head at the response he knew he was going to get, Ron outlined the problem with Damien Strasser. He told her of Annie's arrest and of Damien's chosen profession. Told her of how Damien had threatened Annie if she didn't say the drugs were hers. Then he held the phone away from his ear as the voice exploded from the other end of the phone.

"_So what were you doing while all this was going on? No don't tell me, ignoring the girls and paying more attention to her kids."_

Sighing Ron turned the phone around and put it to his ear, "Kim..."

"_No names, you don't know who might be listening." _She reminded him.

Letting out a deep breath, and tried to tell her how he tried to punch the boy the first time he met him, "I tried to..."

"_Well you didn't try hard enough did you potential boy?"_

Throwing up his hands, he started to say something and then stopped. How was he going to communicate with her if he couldn't use her name? God how he hated the life she led, he had learned a long time ago never to ask where she was. It probably didn't matter as it was always out of the country, she was always in danger. Having to live day to day always looking over her shoulder, well it was the life she chose, he thought. After all she had said no when he proposed in Hawaii all those years ago.

"_You do know of course this will go on her permanent record? God, some Chosen One you are. Shit, now she has a police record." _The voice spat bitterly.

"As far as that goes it's a juvenile offense, she is under 18. And if you remember you have a police record." Ron reminded her.

There was a long silence, before the voice answered. _"You know damn good and well that was different. Indecent exposure is not the same as drugs."_

Ron smiled as he remembered the two being arrested in Laramie having sex in a parking lot in Kim's old Roth SL. It was before she left for Cambridge and out of his life_. "I never should have told her to go."_ He thought sadly.

"_Well..."_

Brought back to reality, "Well what?"

"_It's not the same thing is it?"_

Sighing Ron said, "No I guess not..."

"_This is piss poor parenting Ron. This is neglect..."_

Ron laughed bitterly, "Oh look who's talking, little miss 'I'll be back in three hours."

Slamming the phone down on the cradle, he held up three fingers, he lowered one finger, now he held two fingers up, then one. The phone rang, _"I really don't know why she does this, it never gets us anywhere." _He thought as he counted the rings.

On the third ring, he picked up the phone. "Are we ready to talk now?"

"_So what do you need with me?"_

Ron explained, "I can't keep up with things around here. Kids are reporting for training camp..."

"_It's always about football. You're richer than God and your worried more about football season than your own kids."_

Slamming the phone down on the cradle again, he repeated the finger ritual. He lowered one finger, now he held two fingers up, then one. The phone began to ring, _"Here we go again." _He thought as he counted the rings.

Once again on the third ring, Ron picked up the phone. "You ready to show me a little respect?"

There was dead silence on the other end of the phone.

"Like I told the punk outside when I was beating him up, I can do this all night long." Ron said trying to get Kim to answer him.

"_So how you been?"_

Ron rolled his eyes, "Apart from a little bastard named Damien Strasser giving me a pain in the ass, not bad. You..."

"_Good, I'm retired now...I'm a...private contractor now."_

Rolling his eyes, Ron thought, _"Great, she's killing people for money now."_

"I guess it pays better than the last job?"

"_Pays alright, not as good as a football coach but...I get by."_

"Hey guess who I bumped into the other day?" Ron said with a grin.

"_Who?"_

"Walter Nelson..."

"_No way?"_

"Way..." Ron said as he remembered the chance encounter with the 40 something year old man, who at one time Kim found to be quite cute. He and Monique had ran into him at a restaurant. No surprise for Ron, since he always seemed to run into people that knew him but he never could quite recall their names.

Walter Nelson was the exception. He remembered Kim and Walter kissing on a dare back when they were kids. Their braces became locked and Ron had to get his mother to drive them to an orthodontist to unhook them. He chatted amiably with the man for a bit. Walter moved away from Middleton soon after the kissing incident

"_What did he look like, was he about 6'2, clean shaven, flat top haircut, with a military bearing about him?"_

"No, no...He was about my height, clean shaven, a little pudgy, with thinning brown hair. He was dressed as tourist. He and his family were in Florida for a vacation." Ron said as he tried to remember the details.

"_Good, good...It was probably really him then."_

Ron chuckled, "Well I can't think of anyone else who'd want to be Walter Nelson."

"_I can but it's not important._ _So...did he ask about me?"_

"God it's always about you, never ask about how he is or what he's doing." Ron teased.

"_Makes you jealous doesn't it?"_

Grinning Ron said, "Shaaaaa, of course."

For the first time in years Ron thought he heard a soft giggle from the ice lady, _"So what's Walter been up to?" _

"Oh you know the usual. He and his family live near Dallas, Texas. He works at a company called Plastidyne, married a girl from somewhere or another, has 2.3 kids, and like me is fat and losing his hair." Ron said with a smile.

"_Good, good...So did he ask about me?"_

Ron grinned, "But of course. I told him I hadn't seen you in years."

"_Good, good...So how fat is Monique these days?"_

Not interested in pursuing that line of questioning Ron asked, "So what are we going to do with our problem?"

A few moments of silence followed before she answered. _"Email Wade the particulars and I'll take care of it."_

Smiling Ron said, "I can do that."

"_Ron..."_ The voice said softly.

"Yeah"

"_There are times...I wish things could have been...different."_ Kim said softly into the phone and then the line went dead. She had ended the call.

"Yeah, I miss you too." Ron said quietly as he hung up the phone.

Five days later, Tampa police found the body of Damien Strasser handcuffed to a marker buoy floating three miles out into the bay. Owing to his past criminal record, and the bag of marijuana stuffed into his mouth along with the 9mm bullet hole between the eyes, it was thought to have been a drug deal gone wrong. The case remains to this day, unsolved.

Ron never knew for sure if Kim had done it or not. He never intended to ask. After all he now had plausible denialibility. Now years later as he looked over his happy family around the Thanksgiving Day table he knew Monique was right. He always knew more than he let on.

**

* * *

**

Annie's Greek husband Otto looked at his wife in shock. "How can you have given up on bad boys? I thought I was your bad boy."

Placing a hand on her husband's shoulder, Annie said gently, "Honey, you're the bad boy of pharmaceutical sales."

Glancing at his watch Ron saw that it was going on two in the afternoon. He needed to get to the practice facility in Coral Gables by three. He glanced over at Ashton, who was still looking a little pale and decided to cut him some slack, "So Ashley, what do you think of Myracle's slightly insane family."

"It's Ashton Daddy..." Myracle said impatiently.

"Yeah, whatever..."

Ashton smiled nervously, "I think you guys...are great...really..."

Ron nodded his head, "Great, glad to hear it. Don't be a stranger and only call during normal business hours." Pointing at Eaton, Ron said, "Two o'clock you're driving me to Coral Gables for the final walk through and staff meeting before we leave for Boston tomorrow."

Eaton who had enjoyed the stories but had started to feel forgotten about looked up from his plate, "What...I am?"

"Sure, your families out of town, you haven't got anything else better to do." Ron said with a grin. He looked at Monique, "I'm going to go out to the pool and visit the grand kids for a bit."

Monique wiped her mouth and threw her napkin on her plate, "I'm coming with you."

Allison watched her parents leave the room and then she looked at Annie. The two girls said in unison, "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, he likes Ashley..."

Myracle shook her head, "ASHTON...He keeps calling him Ashley."

Cheyenne pointed a fork at her, "That's tame for Daddy. Did he threaten to pound him?"

"No..." Myracle said still unconvinced.

Steven agreed, "You got off easy, Dad's getting old."

Annie smiled, "Yeah, no death threats or..."

Allison laughed, "...taking him into the front yard and punching him in the arm until he cries. He did that to my boyfriend Timmy when I was 17...God, Mom got so mad at Daddy. He just looked at her like he was totally innocent and told her that he was only trying to make a man out of him."

Steven's wife looked at the other girls, "He ain't that bad..."

Annie made a face at the woman, "Please girl, you never had to go through it. The boys always had it easier. All girls dating Stoppable men were angelic and all men trying to date Stoppable women were evil."

Holding up a finger, Steven took issue, "No, no, don't even go there. When I was 17, I was madly in love with a girl named Cherri Seets. I bring her home to dinner one night, and it was a nightmare."

Cheyenne giggled, "I remember Cherri, she was cute."

"Yeah, cute...anyway...Dad starts staring at her. She keeps looking at Dad and he keeps starring at her. Finally he asks her to stand up and spin around for him..." Steven grinned.

Maranda laughed, "Oh no, he didn't..."

Allison laughed, "Oh yes he did."

Steven chuckled, "So after Cheri sits down, Dad leans back in his chair, rubs the back of his neck and says to her. 'You know, you're kind of hot, and you must be smart because you can speak in complete sentences. What the hell are you doing with a lunk head like my son?' I like to have died."

Maranda smiled as she elbowed her husband, "Good for him, then."

Annie looked down the table to Ashton and Myracle, "So as you can see, Ashley got off easy."

Myracle threw her napkin on her plate, and scolded her sisters, "Ashton, his name is Ashton."

The table broke out into laughter. Annie looked over to Eaton, "He likes you too, if he wants you to drive him around."

Eaton smiled and thought about it, _"Too many DWI's, I don't recall hearing of any arrests in my research?"_

"Coach Ron doesn't like to drive?"

Cheyenne shook her head, "He just got so used to being chauffeured around that he just expects it now. I don't even think Daddy has a driver's license anymore."

"He has one, he just likes riding." Steven told her.

Ron returned to the living room holding his brief case, "Trendle, let's go. I don't have all day."

Monique hugged Ron and kissed him. "You be careful...see you tonight."

Otto held up a glass, "Dad, I thought you were going to stick around long enough to drink malt liquor and dance on the tables with us."

Ron pointed at Annie's Greek husband, "Ah ha, yeah...maybe another time. The hearts willing but the knees are not."

They said their farewells to one another. Monique waited for the front door to close. Smiling happily at Ashton she said, "See I told you he'd like you Ashley..."

Myracle covered her face with both hands and screamed, "MOM!"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I have so much back story and notes for this chapter that after 2 more chapters I'm going to start the Kim Possible Global Justice years stories to fill in the gaps. I've already got chapter 1 halfway written. **

**Special thanks to Quis Custodiet, BigHerb81, Swordbunny4486, bthecatslayer, AtomicFire, aedan cameron, Zaratan, and Joe Stoppinghem for their reviews. Remember write a review, receive a reply.**

**Bubba **

* * *

Eaton Trendel had been volunteered to drive Coach Ron Stoppable to the University of Miami Hurricane's final walk through before they traveled to the Boston for the final regular season game of the year. This was totally unexpected on his part. He had enjoyed eating Thanksgiving Dinner with the Stoppable family but figured his audience with the Coach would be at an end when he had to leave for the Coral Gables practice facility. 

Instead Ron Stoppable had pointed at him and told him he was to be his driver for the day. Now he would have total access to the man, one on one for the first time. Pointing to his faded blue subcompact he sheepishly said, "That's my ride."

Coach Stoppable lifted an eyebrow, "Cheese and crackers man, that's not a car that's a house slipper."

Eaton shrugged, "The wife has the van because of the kids."

Ron nodded his head, "Well, I'll see if I can fold my body into this thing."

Pointing towards the knob, Eaton said. "This lets the seat slide back."

Looking around to make sure no one was watching in case he fell down. Ron slid into the car. Smiling in relief, he said. "Whewwwwww, I didn't think my knees were going to make it. I was afraid the neighbors were going to see me flopping around in the driveway like a fish."

Eaton chuckled, "Well it's not an SUV."

"Ah, it's alright. I drove around in a beat up old 1987 Ford Ranger extended cab for more years than I car to admit." Ron said with a grin.

Eaton started the motor, turned around in the driveway and headed for the front gate. "So that was your first car...errrrr..truck?"

Ron smiled, "Yea, I traded a bunch of food and cigarettes for it. I still have it in the garage. I keep it around for sentimental reasons."

Passing through the gate, Eaton made a right, "No car like the first car."

"No indeed..." Ron said happily.

"That's some family you have back there." Eaton complimented.

"They're great ain't they? I grew up an only child until I was 18 and Mom and Dad adopted. I always wished I had brothers and sisters when I was little. I think I really missed out on a lot by being an only child." Ron mused.

Eaton nodded his head, "I thought that may have been the reason for the big family."

Ron looked out the window at the holiday traffic, "Yea, if Monique would of said yes, I think we would have had about 4 more kids. I love kids."

Smiling Eaton replied, "If Monique was in the car, I bet she would have slapped you for that one."

Laughing Ron agreed, "She'd say that I enjoyed making them and she was always stuck raising them. There's some truth in that."

Pulling up to a stop light, Eaton looked over. "So you don't like driving?"

Ron shook his head, "No I like to people watch and look at the scenery. I mean look at that woman stopped across the street."

Eaton looked around and then saw the woman Ron was talking about waiting for her turn at the light. "Oh I see her."

"Yep, she's picking her nose up to her elbow. You don't usually see women doing stuff like that. Everyone thinks they're at home in a car and they'll do some of the strangest things." Ron said chuckling.

"Right..." Eaton agreed.

"So how long have you been writing?" Ron asked.

Eaton looked at the coach, "So now you're interviewing me?"

Ron shrugged, "I guess..."

"Well, I started writing in high school, went to USC got a degree in journalism. Fell in love with doing hard news, worked here and there before settling here and writing for the Miami Herald." Eaton told him.

"Miami Herald..." Ron let out a deep breath. "For a moment there I just thought you were some loser who sat around all day writing nothing but fan fiction."

Both men chuckled uneasily. Then turned to one another and said in unison, "So what did you write?"

Eaton laughed, "Star Wars, you?"

Ron smiled, "Agony County..."

"Agony County...never heard of it." Eaton said good naturedly.

Offended Ron looked at him and said, "Well I've never heard of Star Wars."

Laughing at Ron's statement, he nodded his head, "I hear you. So why did you quit?"

Ron grinned, "Well...Kim found out. Told me my story stunk, that none of the characters would ever act the way they acted. That the girls of Agony County would never have a torrid lesbian affair in front of the guys, while they cheered and sprayed beer all over them."

Eaton laughed, "Sounds like quite a story."

"Yea, Kim really flamed me. Said the whole thing was as plausible as her and Shego having a torrid lesbian affair. She also said that the only reason I wrote the story was because of my latent homosexuality, and that it was all right for me to feel attracted to men." Ron said trying to hold back his laughter.

Eaton started to laugh, "So I guess this was before you two started dating?"

Ron nodded his head, "Oh yea, this was before we started dating. I think Agony County did that show during the fourth season. It was a ratings block buster. The show never was the same after that. I think they jumped the shark with the whole lesbian, guy, beer thing. I still think they stole the idea from my story."

"Oh, so what did she say after that show?" Eaton inquired.

"Well...It's a conversation we both agreed we'd never discuss again. We were dating after all and it would have been suicidal to suggest a three way Shego." The men laughed, before Ron turned to Eaton, "So why did you quit writing fan fics?"

Eaton shrugged, "I discovered journalism, hard news was more fun to write." Eaton said as he turned into the Green Tree Fields practice facility.

Ron smiled as he could see players already stretching out on the field. "They're pumped up. We've locked up the Coastal Division Championship of the ACC. Boston College is tied with Clemson for the lead of the Atlantic Coast Division. If we beat Boston College on Saturday, then Clemson wins the Atlantic. If we lose, Boston wins the Atlantic and we have to play them again in Tampa next weekend for the ACC Championship."

Looking at Eaton, Ron said. "I don't feel like playing Boston College twice. So we've got to win on Saturday."

Following Coach Stoppable, and looking over Green Tree Fields, Eaton noted the vast size of the facility, "This place is bigger than a football field."

Ron glanced over at him, "It's three football fields. That way we can work on offense, defense and special teams all at the same time. I'm most concerned with defense right now. Boston College runs my offense. They have my old offensive coordinator as coach so...it will be like playing ourselves."

"So this is a walk through?" Eaton asked.

Ron handed the man his brief case, "Sort of, normally they'd be in sweats but I've made them wear the pads for today."

"Coach Sweeny, you have your men ready for Saturday?" Ron asked a heavy set African American man wearing a t-shirt and shorts, and a whistle dangling around his neck.

"I believe so Coach Stoppable..." He replied in a deep voice.

Ron looked at the players and clapped his hands, "Line of scrimmage, now..."

The players quickly broke and took up their positions on the field where they would be if it had been an actual game. Ron took up position opposite of them as if he were the quarterback. He looked over the line and the secondary, "Dre, what are you looking at?"

"Coach Sweeny..." He said pointing to coach Sweeny who had lined up as a receiver.

"Why?" Ron said in his deepest coaching voice.

The player named Dre' shrugged his shoulders.

Ron shook his head, "I can't hear a shrug. OK, If I'm looking at you, where should you be looking?"

Dre' pointed at Ron, "At you..."

"Right, now why are you looking at me?"

"Because you're looking to see what I'm going to do." Dre' smiled happy with his answer.

"And what are you going to do?" Ron asked.

"Cheat in, make him think blitz, then on the snap...I break back into coverage to lend deep protection to the corner." Dre' answered.

"That's right, because if he's fixed on you, he's going to the left side of the field." Looking towards his corner back, Ron pointed, "Tucker, your on 81 all day long, He goes into motion..." Ron pointed to Coach Sweeny, who ran from his position behind Ron to the other side of the field.

Tucker ran with him, "I'm going to shadow his move."

Ron pointed at Dre', "What are you doing?"

"I'm moving to my left to lend coverage force or to block a lane on a run, or keep the tight end pinched to the inside." Dre' answered.

"Good, good...Alright everyone gather around." Ron said as he motioned for the defense to gather around him.

Watching the players gather around Ron looked them over, "Alright, Saturday you know what to expect. They play our exact same offense. You have got to make sure of your pre snap reads, corners you're jamming the receivers to inside, we have to control where they throw the ball. WE DICTATE TO THE OFFENSE...not the other way around. They're going to try and spread us thin, and go down field just like we are GOING to do to them. As long as you stay in your zone packages and control the receivers off the snap, we control them."

Ron paused for a breath, "Now I know many of you are asking why so many zone packages. You all know why, it eliminates personnel mismatches created by man coverage. It allows you to have better vision coming to the line of the quarterback and the ball. It allows us to dictate where the ball will be thrown. We always want the ball middle of the field, short gains, no long pass plays."

"It's all about keep away, Cover 2 Cloud, high to low. Cover 3 Sky, side to side. Our layered zone also limits their ability to run for significant yardage on running plays and minimizes YAC after a reception. The zones speeds up your reaction time, pre snap reads..." Ron pointed to himself, "You can read the quarterback's eyes, his shoulders...See the handoff if it's a running play, give quick support to the weak side if you read incorrectly. For those that like to hit the quarterback, don't worry I'm still going to work in some blitz packages to keep em' honest." Ron said looking around.

Ron looked at the men, "BC's offense is just like ours...They are going to go no huddle, they're going to try and stretch us, catch us out of position, they're quarterback is a sophomore, Dean Renner...He's good but he's easy to read, he makes mistakes. Saturday I want him to make a lot of mistakes. If we can take their receivers away and eliminate the cup cake throws, we will control the day."

Looking to Coach Sweeny, Ron nodded, "Work em' Coach."

The men clapped their hands and broke up. Coach Sweeny ordered them onto the field for drills. Ron walked over to Eaton, "They'll be alright, they're in good shape. BC is going to try and run the legs off of them. Avery Shannon will have BC ready, then again...I'll have them ready." Ron said with a wide grin.

Eaton looked at Ron, "I think I understood most of that talk, but...what is YAC?"

Ron tilted his head trying to take in the question, "Oh...yards after catch. We want a lot of YAC, we don't want them to have any YAC."

"So where to now?" Eaton asked.

"I want to watch my offense. We are very strong there so I'll leave it to Coach Doaks. Defense is what I'm nervous about." Ron said as the walked to the next football field.

Eaton looked down at his feet, "This is all artificial turf?"

Ron nodded his head, "Yep, Proturf just like inside the Dolphins Stadium, just like what they'll be playing on in Alumni Stadium."

It was an interesting afternoon for Eaton as he followed Ron around the practice field. The two hours they spent watching the practice seemed to fly by as Ron would scream, scold, cajole, the players as he took in every facet of the walk through. There was little if any contact as the full scrimmages had been run earlier in the week. Still to Eaton it was fascinating just to watch Ron in his element.

At six o'clock Ron gathered the team around him for a last minute talk. Once the players quieted down, he looked them over. "Alright, this was a good practice. The week off has treated us well, we're rested and ready to go for Saturday. I want you in your rooms by 10:30, there will be phone checks at 11:00. Lights out at 11:00, do not stay up all night." He said as he looked at a two players he saw chuckling.

"I'm serious, if you don't take this game serious, you will be left in Miami. This is a business, not fun and games. Buses arrive at 10:00 AM sharp. You will be here ready to travel. Suit and tie, look sharp, be sharp, play sharp. The plane leaves at 11:00 and we should be landing in Boston by..."

Ron looked at his itinerary, "...4:00 PM, we will be met by buses that will take us to the hotel. Check in, stow your gear, team dinner is at 5:30 PM, I have arraigned to have the some conference rooms available for another walk through at 8:00 PM to last for one hour. You will be in your rooms at 10:30, room check and lights out at 11:00. Any questions?"

Looking around he could see there were none, "Gentlemen, have a nice evening. Don't play too rough, I need you focused for the next few days. Coaches, staff meeting in the film room, right now."

The team broke up, Ron walked over to Eaton and said. "I won't keep you if you need to leave. I can always catch a ride from one of the coaches."

Eaton shook his head, "No, no, this is fascinating. I never seen a behind the scenes view of game preparation."

Grinning Ron said, "I try to keep a well oiled machine. Follow me..."

It was nearly dark as the small group of coaches headed towards a large 3 story white building that stood behind the practice facility. The building housed the Athletic department. The football offices resided on the 2nd floor. Most of the coaches took the stairs. Ron took the elevator with Eaton and few other coaches. Ron leaned over to the writer and whispered, "You can tell who has bad knees."

The elevator door opened and the men stepped out onto the white tile floor. Walking down the hallway to the film room, Eaton noticed that the other men had already taken their seats had their playbooks open. Ron closed the door behind him and took a seat at the head of the room, taking his play book out of his brief case.

He started the meeting, by pointing to Eaton. Who was standing in a corner, unsure if he should take a seat or not, so he chose to stand. "Coaches, this is Eaton Trendle. He's writing a book about my days back in Colorado. He has little if any football background...He's mostly harmless."

The coaches laughed and Eaton mumbled, "Thanks a lot."

Ron pointed to a young woman, "Brock, injury report?"

Brock Easley the team's trainer looked at his list, "Reginald Stokes, knee...out for the season, Damien Cartwright, separated shoulder, out for this week, should be ready for next week. Marcus Cantrell, high ankle sprain, should be ready for Saturday's game. That's about it for this week."

Nodding his head, "The week off treated us well. Stokes is not making the trip right?"

The trainer nodded, "Yea, he's staying here."

"Alright, I've got some notes to go over." Ron said as he flipped open a small note pad. "Cecil, the off week has made Tyrell sloppy. We get to Boston, you need to get him in that conference room and work on his three step drop. Step, step, step, release...He's not going to have much time back there and he's got to be fluid. "

Cecil Monroe, the quarterback coach nodded his head, "I hear ya..."

Ron looked over the list again, "...uhhhhhhhhh...Coach Strock...Long snapping sucked. When we take the field for practice at Alumni, I want both Otis and Warren worked hard on that. We can't afford to lose a game because of a bad snap."

"Any special requests for gear?" A man said in the back of the room.

Looking up, Ron spoke slowly so he could run the lists of equipment through his head. "Yes...yes...I do...Andy...Cold weather gear, bring the cold weather gear."

Andy Metcalf, the equipment manager winced, "The weather is calling for 40 degrees and sunny..."

Ron chuckled, "Andy, these kids are mostly from Florida and South Texas...That temperature drops below 60, they think they're playing in the artic circle."

Nodding his head in agreement, "You're the Doctor."

"Damn straight..." Ron muttered under his breath as he looked at his note book.

Before Ron could continue, the door to the room burst open. Dan Tovella and two other heavy set men wearing teal sport coats and University of Miami Hurricane baseball caps entered the room. The largest of the men stepped forward towards Ron. He was a big man, well over six feet. His body suggested a former athlete who let his body go to seed. Grinning stupidly he thrust his hand out for Ron to shake. "Coach Stoppable, good to see you. Did you have a nice holiday? Or do Jews celebrate Thanksgiving?"

Ron stared at the man with his mouth open. No one ever walked in on Ron during a closed door meeting. Looking down at the man's hand, he was tempted to grab his thumb and bend it backwards till it snapped. Keeping his temper in check, he took his hand, "Dan...Jews celebrate Thanksgiving just fine. So why are you here?"

"Oh, I wanted to introduce you to some friends of mine. I think you may already know them. Buck Upshaw..." Ron shook the man's hand. Dan Tovella pointed to the next man, "Tom Hildebrand. "

"Nice to meet you gentlemen, now tell me...why are you here?" Ron said as he fought to control his temper.

Dan took out a white handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped at his balding head. "It sure is warm in here."

Blinking Ron thought,_"It was fine before you drug your fat ass in here."_

"Yes, yes it is, perhaps if you and your friends would like to wait outside..."

Waving his hand, "No, no, we won't take up much of your time. I just wanted you to meet the new exploratory committee. We've been charged with finding a heir apparent should you feel the need to retire at the end of the season."

A wry smile crossed his face, "Now Dan, why would I think of retiring with so many years left on my contract?"

A startled look crossed Dan's face, "No, no, you misunderstand..."

Ron's eyes lit up, "Ahhhhh, you need to talk to my son, he handles all contract negotiations. I'm sure if you're looking to extend my contract, he'd be more than willing to talk to you. I mean, who am I to refuse to take your money." Ron said happily as he motioned the men towards the door, "Now if you gentleman will kindly excuse us. We need to get to the business of winning."

"Well...that's...not..." Dan protested as Ron escorted the new committee out the door.

Buck and Tom had the good sense to understand they were being thrown out of the room. Dan Tovella however was not as quick to take the hint. It only dawned on him that their meeting was over as Ron put his hand in his chest and shoved him back out the door, slamming it behind him.

The room exploded in laughter at the men's expense. Ron grinned and held up his hands as the coaches started to applaud. "Now, now, that's not the attitude to take after all one of you may be the next heir apparent."

* * *

It was nearing ten o'clock as Eaton sat in Coach Ron Stoppable's office. Hanging on the wall was various plaques, awards and lots of pictures of star players that went on to the NFL that he coached. There were a lot of those pictures. He sat quietly as he waited for Ron to finish staring at the ceiling. 

Dr. Ron, was going over the checklists in his head one more time to see if he had forgotten anything, overlooked the tiniest of details that could cause a problem when they arrived in Boston. He could think of none. Looking over at Eaton he said, "It must be getting pretty late for you."

"I called the wife and let her know I'd be out late." Eaton smiled.

Ron smiled wearily, "Always got to let the wives know, otherwise one day you end up sleeping alone."

"So have you called Monique yet?" Eaton asked.

Shaking his head, Ron said sadly, "Nope, she had a big day. So she's probably asleep. I'm sure more than a few grandkids are spending the night. She's having a blast. She loves the holidays."

Eaton could hear something in the tone of Ron's voice, so he decided to inquire. "...and you don't?"

"Nope, I'm the last of my kind. I am the youngest Jewish Stoppable. When I die, that's it. So the holidays are a constant reminder that I failed my parents. I hang the Christmas wreath on the door and it feels like I'm knifing them in the back." Ron said sadly.

Eaton could see that Ron was tired but this was one facet of the man he had never seen. He was always so upbeat, and positive. To see him down, was very unusual. "So none of the kids are Jewish?"

Ron shook his head, "No, I was raising Cheyenne to be Jewish until I married Monique. Christmas and Easter just blew Chanukah, Pass Over, Yom Kippur and Purim right out of the water."

"I know who's kids are yours and Monique's, I know who's kids are yours and Kim's. Who was Cheyenne's mother? I mean she's older than the other kids." Eaton asked.

Shaking his head, Ron said. "I'd rather not bring the kids into this."

Eaton nodded his head, "Okay, fine...So Monique didn't convert to Judaism?"

"Nope, she lived with my parents in Middleton and then after they moved to Miami. Living with Jews for six years, and not able to celebrate the big Christian Holidays. It really hit her hard. So when, we started dating, she went wild to make up for the lost time." Ron grinned.

Having sat for too long, Eaton stretched. "So it really wasn't a conscious decision on Monique's part to not celebrate the Jewish holidays then?"

"Oh it probably was, and I let it happen. I just wanted her to be happy. She really had it hard back in the old days. I was away at school and for the most part she was living with strangers." Ron said sadly.

"I can imagine."

Ron frowned, "I had always hoped that at least one of my children would take an interest in the religion. But it wasn't to be. I mean how do you get kids attention with a religion without a fat man in a sleigh who gives you toys? Then after a few months shape shifts into a six foot bunny rabbit that gives out candy and is nailed to a cross for it."

Eaton tilted his head, not quite sure what to say. "...Ummmmm..."

"No, when I die. The headstone will read, here lies Ronald Doran Stoppable, pretty good football coach, pretty good football player, practiced a hokey old religion. Maybe Tovella's right, I am a dinosaur..." Ron said sadly as he leaned back and looked at the ceiling.

Ron's morbid mood was making Eaton uncomfortable. So he decided to change the subject, "So does Dan Tovella come to your meetings often."

Grinning Ron shook his head and sat up in his chair. "No, no this was a first. He normally just sends me little notes to try and get into my head. If you don't win, it could mean your job. Stuff like that. He's feeling pretty good about things now."

"So he's trying to intimidate you?" Eaton coaxed. Ron was coming out of his funk and getting feisty again. He liked the old coach feisty.

"Oh...I guess. The man really doesn't know me that well. If he had to face the things I faced in my youth. He'd piss his plaid stretch pants." Ron chuckled.

Eaton laughed, "So Theodore wouldn't offer this man a cigar then?"

Ron leaned back in his chair and laughed, "No, no, he would not impress the bear one bit. The bear is a good judge of character."

"So last we talked, you had just been in some gang violence and received an offer to play football in Wyoming..." Eaton said as he took out his tape recorder.

Covering his face, Ron laughed. "So loosen up the old man and then hit him with the questions."

Eaton grinned, "Just some quick ones. Hopefully nothing too involved."

"OK, OK, ask away..." Ron said as he waved a hand at Eaton.

"You've used a phrase before and I've heard others use it. What is Middleton Mean?" Eaton sat back in his chair grinning.

Grinning Ron's eyes twinkled. The phrase obviously was one of his favorites. "Oh it's more of a state of mind. When the bad times came you had people who either, wanted to steal from you, wanted to kill you, or wanted to take advantage of you somehow. You learned to become mean, or mean spirited in a hurry. Here it is 40 years later and if run across any of those old neighbors and you say something they don't like...you'll see it. The attitude will come from nowhere and it'll shock you how intense the anger can be."

Eaton nodded his head, "So you still have the Middleton Mean in you?"

Chuckling Ron nodded his head, "Oh yea, and not just me. Monique has it, don't ever cross her. Since Theodore was found with your mother...I imagine he has a little of it in him as well."

"So Theodore is Middleton Mean then?" Eaton asked with a grin.

Ron had a far away look in his eye and he didn't return the smile, "The bear's still around. I'm sure he has it in him too."

Eaton looked at his note pad, "Did you ever see anyone disappear?"

Chuckling Ron rolled his eyes, "Oh yea, I don't think anyone could have been around back then and not witnessed at least one disappearance."

"So you've seen people taken out and shot?" Eaton said suddenly turning very serious.

Ron stuck his tongue into the side of his mouth and tried to think of away around the question, "I never actually saw anyone shot. I've seen them disappear..."

Puzzled at Ron's answer, Eaton pressed on. "By disappear you mean...what?"

Letting out a deep breath, Ron looked towards the door. The whole subject made him nervous. Rising from his seat he crossed the room, opened the office door and flipped the switch to make sure it was locked before he closed it again. Looking at Eaton he said, "I'm not real wild about talking about this stuff."

"I can tell..." Eaton said nervously as he watched Ron return to his seat.

Ron pulled his chair around from behind his desk and rolled it up to Eaton. Pointing at his digital recording device, he said, "Switch it off."

Eaton did as he was asked.

Feeling more secure Ron leaned in and said in almost a whisper, "First thing you have to understand is there are two kinds of disappearing. There's the good kind, the kind where you turn up after a number of years. Then there's the bad kind. The kind of bad, where nobody knows what happened to you but it's suspected you're in an unmarked grave or in one of the mass graves they still run across out there."

"So why did some people turn back up then?" Eaton said in a low voice to match Ron's.

Ron grinned, "Well that's the good kind. Those were people that just left the area. You have to remember we had little or any communication with the outside world. So if you just walked away, no one would ever know about it."

He could tell Eaton still wasn't quite getting the message. So Ron put up his hand. "Remember at Thanksgiving Dinner, I told the family about Theodore, your mother and Bonnie Rockwaller?"

"Yea..."

"Do you remember the boy, which Bonnie was trying to get your mother to breakup with?" Ron asked.

Eaton nodded, "Yea, a Joe Monkey or something?"

Ron chuckled, "Yea, close...uh...Josh Mankey. You know it's only one letter difference...anyway it's easy to make that mistake. Well Josh disappeared. Then we're at the ten year high school reunion."

Pausing for a moment Ron leaned back in his chair and began counting his fingers. Then he nodded, "The ten year high school reunion, Josh Mankey shows up with his wife. He disappeared because his family moved to Salina...no...Lawrence Kansas to be closer to his mom's family."

Eaton frowned, "Mom wasn't at the ten year reunion?"

Ron sighed, "Not many were. I think out of a class of 125 or a 150, I can't remember the exact number. There was me, Kim, Monique, Bonnie, Josh Mankey, Zita Flores, Ron Reeger, uh...my best bud Felix Renton. He had also disappeared, his family moved away and he went with them. So getting back to the point, we had a graduating class of 125 or so, there were 18 at the 10 year reunion, 58 at the 25 year reunion. Lots of people went missing, like your mother."

"I don't see how this has to do with..." Eaton began before Ron cut him off.

"Statistics Eaton...OK look, you were out on the practice field today. You saw all those boys out there in their football gear, correct?" Ron asked.

"Yea..."

"Within 5 years one of those boys will be dead. Law of averages, 120 players, 10 coaches, 8 graduate assistants, 1 trainer, 3 assistant trainers, 1 equipment manager, someone within the next 5 years will be dead. Might even be me...God forbid." Ron said with a grin.

Eaton nodded, "I think I'm getting it."

Ron nodded, "Right so at this 10 year reunion there is only about 18 or 20 of us there. Most of the people I knew, a few I didn't remember too well. Okay so out of 120, in ten years, we had 100 fellow classmates that all survived the attack after graduation...disappear."

"But the ones that weren't there weren't all dead..." Eaton said again.

Sighing Ron tried again, "Your mom wasn't there. She disappeared. We never knew what happened to her. We hoped she was like Josh Mankey and Felix, just moved away. Twenty five year reunion a few more show up. Over half of my graduation class is either dead or missing. Now the ones missing, that don't turn up are bad disappearances. They're most likely dead."

"Oh so statistically speaking...that is a really high rate of people that vanished off the face of the earth." Eaton said suddenly understanding what Ron was getting at.

"If there was no way to communicate it would seem that Kim, Monique, me, all disappeared. No way to check up on us. So if you're in charge and you find some people being pesky...kill them, who is ever going to know?" Ron said quietly.

"Ohhhhhhh, but everyone knew what happened to you." Eaton said.

Ron grinned, "Yea, our leaving in a group the way we did was kind of notorious and garnered much attention. A whole neighborhood vanishes at once in the middle of the night. Yea, our disappearance ruffled some feathers."

"So who did you see disappear?" Eaton asked.

Leaning back in his chair again, Ron glanced at the door. "Well now we have bad disappearances. You didn't want to be picked up the Colorado Highway Patrol. It was usually a one way ride to never, never land."

Eaton nodded, "I've heard that, the highway patrol and the National Guard..."

Ron nodded, "Yea, the Guardsman on the borders were pretty cool though. Those guys came back from Iraq and were so happy nobody was trying to shoot them or blow them up. They didn't really prevent too many people from leaving the state, or enforce the stupid laws that came down to us from Boulder. The Guardsman bastards away from the borders were...scary."

"So who did you see disappear." Eaton asked again.

Glancing at the door once again, Ron chuckled nervously. "Old habits...Let me think...I never did know the woman's name. It was around...Monique was there, she was in the store...OK..."

Licking his lips Ron started his story again. "I was working at Smarty Mart...in the parking lot retrieving carts. We had to get the carts back inside or they would disappear too. People would use them for all sorts of things. So we had to keep a tight watch on them."

* * *

Straightening the long line of shopping carts, making sure they were straight Ron tied a rope around the first cart and walked to the back of the long line of carts. Pausing to wipe his brow he looked into the afternoon sun. It was nearly 90 degrees, extremely hot for the month of June in Colorado. 

Glancing to his left, he saw a slender woman with long brown hair strapping her two small children into the backseat of an SUV. He was sure she wasn't going to be in the way, he turned his attention back to the carts. Pushing them forward and with the rope in his left hand he kept the long line straight as he guided them towards the front of the store.

Tires squalling from a car locking up its brakes behind him cause him to jump. Ron spun around to see a black unmarked Chevrolet Impala come to a halt in front of the SUV and two uniformed officers of the Colorado Highway Patrol jumped out of the car and raced towards the woman.

The woman screamed and tried to get open the front door of the SUV. One of the Officers grabbed her by the hair and pulled her backwards. The second Officer punched the woman as hard as he could in the face, knocking her unconscious.

The first Officer still holding the woman by the hair reached down with his freehand and wrapped it around the belt holding up her blue jeans. The second Officer had the back door to the unmarked police car open and the first Officer threw the woman inside the car.

The first Officer looked up and took notice of Ron for the first time. He drew his pistol, "YOU GET BACK IN THAT STORE, FORGET WHAT YOU'VE SEEN...OR I WILL SHOOT YOU DOWN WHERE YOU STAND..."

Forgetting the shopping carts Ron turned and ran towards the front of Smarty Mart as fast as he could. He could hear the squealing tires behind him heading in the opposite direction. Running into the store Ron turned around to see the black Impala turning left onto highway 203. Putting his hands on top of his head, he paced back and forth, _"Oh man, what the just happened here? Why...What did she do?"_

Feeling confident that the Highway Patrol wasn't coming back for him, Ron ventured outside again. People were walking towards the long line of baskets. Running out to finish the job and keep people from stealing them Ron waved his arms and shouted, "BASKETS IN THE STORE..."

The people quickly dispersed, none of them heading towards the store. Ron chuckled,_"Beat you to it."_

Lining the carts up once again, he began to push them towards the store. He could hear a squeaking but it didn't sound like it was coming from the carts. He stopped and looked the line of carts over again. They looked alright he thought as he walked to the back of the line.

He stopped, he heard it again. Then it dawned on him, the Patrol men only took the woman, not the kids she was putting into the car seats in the back of the SUV. As he moved closer to the SUV, he could now tell the noise he was hearing was children crying. Ron peeked into the back of the SUV and could see two small children buckled into their safety seats. "Hang on, I'll get you out."

He tried the front door, it was locked. He tried the back door it too was locked. As were the doors on the passenger side of the trendy sport utility, putting his hands on top of his head he tried to think about what to do. _"If I leave them in the car...They'll broil to death. How do I get them out?"_

Shielding his eyes from the glare of the sun, Ron peered into the back of the SUV. The kids in the seat were sweating and crying. Then an idea came to him. Why not just break out a window. Ron held up a finger, "I'll be right back."

Running back to the carts he quickly pushed them through the door in the front of the store. Moving quickly he looked for something heavy to break out the windows with. Then it dawned on him, "Fire extinguisher."

He ran to the empty snack bar and went behind the counter. Taking the small red fire extinguisher from the wall he turned to leave and spotted Monique at the same table reading a fashion magazine. "MONIQUE!"

Monique looked up and smiled, "Ron..."

"You're back, great..." Ron said breathlessly.

"I haven't left." Monique said sadly.

Ron motioned to her to follow him, "Great follow me."

She had to run to keep up with him, "What's going on?"

There was no answer until they reached the black SUV. Ron peered into the window, "I'm gong to get you out." He said calmly.

"I think we need to call the police first." Monique said nervously.

Running around to the passenger side of the truck Ron shook his head, "They're the ones that caused this."

"What..." Monique said in disbelief.

Stepping back from the door, Ron lifted the fire extinguisher and slammed the bottom of the metal can against the front passenger side window, once, twice, and on the third try the window shattered. Reaching inside the truck, Ron found the power door lock switch and unlocked the doors.

The children in back were crying even louder now. They were afraid of the man who had just broken into their death chamber. Ron sat the fire extinguisher on the ground, opened the door and reached inside. He unbuckled the first child. He could see a blue jumper. It was a boy. Taking the screaming child out of the vehicle he handed him to Monique, "Here you go buddy, now for you partner."

Looking horrified Monique held the crying baby far way from her. Shaking her head, Monique said, "Ron, Kim's the babysitter. I don't know anything about babies."

There was no answer as Ron was too busy extracting the second child. Ron wiped the sweaty hair from the child's face. The child was older and he could see it was a girl. "Hang on honey...Ronnie's got you."

Stepping back from the SUV, he bent down and picked up the fire extinguisher with his free hand, and slammed the door closed with his butt. Looking at Monique strangely, he said, "That's not how you hold a baby."

"Well..." Monique started to protest only to have Ron walk away from her.

"Let's get out of the sun." He said over his shoulder.

Returning to the snack bar, he told Monique to sit down. She was still trying to say she didn't want to watch the kids but Ron was talking a mile a minute. "So you'll have to watch them until someone is notified..."

"No...I..."

"I better tell Mr. Barkin, he'll know what to do. I'll be right back with some bottled water. Don't go anywhere." He said as he sat the girl down in Monique's lap.

Looking horrified and holding two crying children, Monique called out to him. "I'm not watching these babies...I HATE BABIES..."

The crying children instantly quieted down and looked at Monique in stunned surprise. Looking at the two now quiet children, she lifted an eyebrow and mumbled, "Well that was easy."

* * *

Ron and Eaton were both laughing. Eaton grinned, "So you dumped the kids on Monique?" 

Nodding his head and chuckling, Ron said, "The first of many..."

Once the laughter had died down, Eaton asked, "So who was the woman the patrol took?"

Shrugging, Ron said, "I don't know?"

"The kids?"

"Ahhhhhh, someone did come and pickup the kids...eventually...I think." Ron said in a less than confident voice.

"So this is before Monique moved in with you?"

"Yea, I hadn't realized how long she had been inside the store yet. Too much stuff going on." Ron said sadly.

Silence followed for a moment, before Ron started to laugh. "Oh man...You asked about Middleton Mean...This is the ultimate example of Middleton Mean."

Eaton smiled, "What..."

"I don't know how, but someone got a hold of the woman's family. They came to pick up the kids. They don't ask what happened to the woman, they're not overly concerned about the kids. No, no, no, what they want to know is who broke out the window of the SUV, so they could sue the pants off of them." Ron said laughing.

Eaton laughed, "Your kidding?"

Shaking his head, Ron said, "No, no, it's true. Monique looked at me and handed them the kids, said, here ya go and walked away. I turned and walked away, as this idiot woman starts to scream for the store manager."

* * *

The little sub compact car pulled up outside the security gate. Eaton looked at Ron, "Want me to drop you off inside?" 

Ron shook his head, "No this will be fine. I'll key myself in and head up to bed."

Eaton nodded, "Well good luck on Saturday."

"Oh, hey...I almost forgot. Win or lose, you won't be seeing me for a while. We'll be prepping for the ACC Championship game in Tampa, next weekend." Ron said as he opened the car door.

"So you'll be busy. Do you mind if I talk to Monique?" Eaton asked.

Ron stood for a moment before he leaned back into the car for his brief case. Looking at Eaton, he could see he was thinking it over. "If you do make sure the girls are around her...I...I don't know. This stuff is pretty hard on her."

"I'll bring Theodore..." Eaton said hopefully.

Thinking it over for a bit, Ron said, "I think she'd like to see Theodore. I know I would. Just...just be easy with her, if you talk to her."

Eaton nodded, "I'll do that."

"I'll see ya around." Ron said as he closed the door.

He heard Eaton honk as he pulled away. Ron turned and waved to him. Punching in the numbers on the security box he saw the light turn green and he pushed the gate open. Walking slowly to the house the front door opened.

Monique stood in the doorway dressed in a bathrobe and house slippers. She was smiling. "We've got a full house tonight. We'll have to be quiet."

"What..."

Grinning Monique held up a pill bottle and shook it, "You behaved yourself so well today, I thought you deserved a treat."

Laughing Ron hugged his wife. "I'm pretty exhausted, but not that exhausted."

"Myracle is thrilled you like Ashley..."

"Ashton..." Ron corrected her.

She shrugged, "Whatever..."

"Kid seems alright..." Ron mumbled as they started up the stairs.

Monique walked beside him to help him along. His knees really didn't like stairs any more. She smiled, "You really know his Grandpa?"

"Yep" Ron said as he took another step.

"Did he really try to cheap shot you?"

Taking another step, he said. "Yep"

"You really hate him?"

"Nahhhhhhh, its just football..." Ron said as he reached the top step.

"What did he do?" Monique asked sounding concerned.

"Oh...I it was the Wild Card Game of the Playoffs back in the 2012 season. We were the wild card team, 5th seed. We had to go to San Diego to play the Chargers. I got hit pretty hard and put the ball on the ground. In the pile he punched me in the cup and I jabbed him in the eye through his face mask." Ron said with a grin.

Monique winced, "Ouch...If I remember right you got the ball back."

"I got lucky, Jerome Gainy punched Ashley's Grandpa in the ribs as I was jabbing his eye. He lost interest in the ball." Chuckling Ron's face broke out into a wide grin.

"Ashton..."

"Whatever..." Ron said as they entered the bedroom. He took Monique into his arms and kissed her gently as he reached for the bottle in her hand.

"So you think he'd remember you?" Monique asked nervously.

Ron took the bottle as he watched Monique drop her robe to reveal white satin pajamas. "Nice..." He said pointing at her.

"Thank you..." She smiled.

"Why are you so interested in Ashton's Grandpa?" Ron asked as he went to the sink to get a glass of water.

"Oh...an older gentleman with a lazy eye came to pick up Ashley this afternoon. He seemed really interested in seeing you again." Monique chuckled nervously.

Laughing Ron said, "Shit, my knees are too bad to run from him. So we'd either have to fight or fuck...and he's too ugly for fucking...Oh and it's Ashton."

"Whatever, I just thought you should know..."

Pulling off his shirt Ron grinned, "You are one hot mamma...Why did you think I should know?"

Monique unbuttoned the top of her pajamas to allow Ron a peek at her cleavage. "Oh you never know, Ashton might be family one day."

The smile froze on Ron's face, "Its Ashley and OH HELL NO..."

Gliding up to Ron she unbuckled his belt, "I'm not saying anything...He just has that look about him."

Frowning, he said. "What sort of look does Myracle have?"

Monique laughed, "Flavor of the month..."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Ron said. "Good..."

"Of course girls are funny and tend to say yes to such things without thinking things through." Monique giggled as she reached into Ron's boxers.

"Oh man..." Noticing his member rising to attention from Monique's touch, Ron smiled, "Booyah..."

* * *

**A/N: Next Chapter a little more background on Eaton, Drakken and Shego fun, Monique memories and a visit from Theodore.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry for the long time between updates. I've been moving and downsizing my life in preparation of a layoff from work. They won't tell us when the layoff is coming but I assume it will be the end of the year. Such is the times I guess. This is another of those famous 20,000 word chapters I sometimes reel off. So I decided to break it into 2 parts for easier consumption.**

**So I'm posting this chapter and will soon follow it up with another.**

**Thanks to those that have reviewed the story and thanks for being patient. Remember write a review, receive a reply.**

* * *

Sitting comfortably in his basement office at his house, Eaton Trendle looked at the giant white board filled with time lines, names and dates. Glancing at the computer monitor he watched the football game live from Boston. Ron had the Hurricane's ready to play and had the game well in hand. The score at the moment was 27 to 13.

Smiling Eaton glanced at the small picture of his mother sitting in acrylic frame above the computer monitor. Leaning back in his chair he smiled at the picture, and said quietly. "You know you really should have told me about that bear."

Turning his attention back to the game, there was a close up of Ron signaling in the plays to the offense. Eaton didn't get to see this part when he attended the walk through so this was new to him.

Dr. Ron Stoppable's University of Miami Hurricane offense was known as the Storm Front Offense. It was similar to the other stretch offenses used by other colleges except that Ron's was a no huddle offense.

All plays were signaled in from the bench after each play. Ron called the play to the quarterback. The offensive line coach would signal in the line formation and the receivers coach would signal in the routes to the receivers. The idea was to get his team to the line as quickly as possible to prevent the opposing team's defense from making changes.

As the formation would take shape, the defense was forced into coverage mismatches as there would be receivers, and tight ends lined up all along the line of scrimmage forcing the opposing offense to stretch their zone packages.

Boston College's coach used to be Coach Ron Stoppable's offensive coordinator before leaving to take the head coaching job with Boston College. Thus the Boston College offense looked very similar to the Miami offense except that Coach Stannis had his offensive line spaced a yard apart from each other on the line of scrimmage. The plan was to stretch the Hurricane's defense to cause mismatches and coverage mistakes just as Coach Stoppable had hoped to do to Boston College.

On this day however the plan was not working as the Miami defense easily kept the Boston College offense in check throughout the game. Now with time winding down, the Hurricane players were sneaking up behind their coach with a water cooler filled with Gatorade.

As the Hurricane's quarterback Tyrell Claymore took a knee in victory formation the players dumped the contents on the water cooler on top of Ron. Eaton laughed as Ron was drenched. Thinking about the large man in the teal sport coat, Eaton mused. _"Dr. Ron wins again. I hope this throws a wrench in Tovella's plans."_

Reaching for the remote control he turned up the sound on his computer. He wanted to hear the last few minutes of the game telecast before he dived in and started to do more research into the planetary saviors Dr. Drakken and Sheila Go.

"_...the University of Miami Hurricane's will go into Tampa Stadium next Saturday undefeated. Their opponent in the ACC Championship game will be the Clemson Tigers."_

"_Coach Stoppable and __Coach Stannis__ are meeting at midfield. Let's see if we can listen in for a moment."_

The two coaches met at midfield and embraced. Eaton could hear Ron telling the other coach that, _"Monique sends her love."_

The other coach smiled, _"Janice is up for more shopping in the off season."_

The two men laughed before Coach Stannis pulled Ron close to him and whispered in his ear. Ron nodded his head, _"Thanks for the heads up, we'll look into that."_

"_A warm meeting at Midfield, Dr. Ron and his Hurricane's leave still the number 1 ranked team in the nation. But the season isn't over yet for Boston College. As they will be gearing up for a New Years Day bowl game, that has yet to be announced. Dave Maurtry, what bowl do you see Boston College being invited to?"_

Another announcer began to talk as Eaton turned the volume down on the monitor. He now turned his attention to an old card board box. Pulling the masking tape off the top he opened it. Pulling out a large black trash bag, he opened it up and smiled as he saw the bear that Ron and Monique so fondly remembered.

"Not going to offer me a cigar?" He said whimsically. Then he frowned, _"No I guess if I was packed away inside a trash bag for 20 years, I wouldn't be offering any cigars either."_

The bear was older than he was. He turned the bear over and saw the blood stain on the back of his head. Blood that had oozed out of his mothers nose as her lifeless head rested on the Theodore T. Bear in that lonely field all those years ago. Wincing at the thought of a symbol of childhood innocence having been found at the sight of his mother's grizzly violent murder sickened him.

Wiping a tear from his eye he turned the bear back around to face him. Theodore's black glass eyes stared at him expressionlessly. His pink tongue still stuck out of his mouth. Giving the raspberry to the boy that had boxed him up all those years ago. Sighing he shook his head, he told the bear softly.

"Sorry about the whole bag and the box thing. I never realized how important you were to my mother."

The years did take their toll on Theodore's wardrobe. Gone was his little yellow ran hat and one of his galoshes was missing. The yellow rain coat was still intact. The only sign of wear on the coat was faded paint on the snaps that fastened the raincoat over the portly bear.

Sitting the bear aside he dug through another box. This one labeled Middleton Stuff. He pulled out a small disk marked History Channel, Lipsky Interview. He was holding in his hands the only known raw footage of an interview the History Channel tried to do on the 10 year anniversary of the Great Colorado Volcano. Smirking at the title of the documentary, Eaton mumbled, "Volcano my ass."

He took the pouch containing the Lipsky interview along with other resource materials he had acquired over the years back to his desk. It was time for him to check out his source material against his eyewitness recollections of Ron and Monique Stoppable. Glancing up at the monitor he saw that Coach Stoppable was seated at a table answering questions in a post game press conference. Eaton reached up to the monitor and turned up the sound.

"_...unaware of any such rumors concerning retirement. I can't retire yet. I still have 2 years left on my contract and my wife wants a new kitchen."_

Eaton smiled as the press corps that was assembled shared a laugh with Coach Stoppable. Then another thought crossed his mind. It was apparent that all the talk on the local talk radio station had finally caught up with the national media. Shaking his head, he mumbled, "Too bad..."

"_After the win today, you're team is still the number 1 team in the nation. Any concerns going into the next Saturday's ACC Championship game in Tampa?"_

He pushed the button on the thin desktop computer and a small try slid open. He placed the disk into the slot and pushed the button again. The tray slid back into the computer. Eaton settled back in his chair to hear Ron Stoppable's answer.

"_Well we had a few injuries today so naturally we're very interested in getting our team up to speed. Clemson has a strong program and with the tough game Boston College gave us today. I'd have to think we're going into the game as the underdog."_

Eaton laughed along with the media, as the menu of the disk appeared he shouted at the monitor. "They aren't buying it Coach."

Sitting back up in his chair he picked up his note book, turned the HDTV feed off to the computer and pressed play on the menu. There was an image of Mt. McKinney followed by an intense flash of white light. The voice over narrator opened the show.

"_In early June of 2007 a once thought peaceful mountain in Eastern Colorado exploded. Mt. McKinney seated on the edge of the Yellowstone Caldera exploded. The super heated gas escaped from the earth's core incinerating and destroying everything in its path." _

"Yeah right..." Eaton said bitterly as he mocked the narration.

"_First to fall into the path of the high speed gas cloud was the town of Middleton. A quiet suburb of Upperton..."_

Eaton hit the step button till he found the file footage of a very uncomfortable Dr. Drakken and Sheila Go receiving a medal from the United Nations, for their work in saving the world from the volcano. Eaton grinned as he pushed the play button, "I just love this part of the great lie."

Dr. Drakken his head surrounded by yellow flower pedals from an experiment gone awry stepped forward to the podium. Sheila Go stood beside him wearing a green dress that highlighted her dazzling female form. She appeared to be as equally uncomfortable as her employer. Eaton looked closer, _"She might be smirking, hard to tell. This is obviously before she found out that her brothers were dead."_

"_Drew Lipsky in the guise of his other persona Dr. Drakken a criminal genius was credited with saving much of the Western United States from the volcanic activity." _

The image on the screen switched to an older white haired scientist. He was explaining how Dr. Drakken saved the planet. Eaton read the name that flashed up on the screen on the bottom of the screen to identify the man. _"Dr. A. H. Maxwell, Purdue University..."_

"_The true genius of what Dr. Drakken did was in his inventing an ultrasonic device powerful enough to cap the volcano and restore it to its previous state. If one were to look at Mt. McKinney today it would appear as if nothing of a volcanic nature ever took place on this mountain range."_

Eaton laughed at the man on the screen, "That's because nothing volcanic ever happened at Mt. McKinney."

"_Now for the first time Dr. Drakken speaks on the record about the events that happened nearly 10 years ago in Colorado."_

The image turned to a much older man, the flower pedals surrounding his head didn't appear to Eaton to be nearly as bright and colorful as they had in years past. It was obvious the man who stood accepting the medal of meritorious service from the United Nations was showing his age. Dr. Drakken was no longer clad in a dark blue lab coat and black rubber gloves. He was now clad in a blue suit with a red tie. Eaton shook his head as he watched the man fuss about the lighting. "This is truly raw footage."

"_Do I look sinister enough? I always enjoyed looking sinister. Maybe a key light shining upwards out of sight of the camera would achieve the desirable effect?"_

The woman who was attempting to interview the mad scientist was off camera, trying to get her subject to focus. _"You look fine, very scary..."_

The former Dr. Drakken sneered,_ "Did I say scary, no I said sinister. Grrrrrr, you media types are all alike..." _

"_I'm sorry Mr. Lipsky, is it all right if we start the interview now?" _ The woman tried again.

Drew Lipsky eyed the woman suspiciously, _"This is going to be a serious piece right? I mean no questions about gender equity in the super villain world? I mean let's face it. It's primarily guys trying to take over the world because women already run everything..."_

The woman conducting the interview sensed an opening. _"That's a very interesting opinion. How do you figure women actually run the world?"_

Drakken laughed maniacally, _"Oh, don't play innocent with me. You know very well that women start to take control of the men at a young age. Potty training, the women always handles the potty training and from there it leads to being dressed in matching clothes, usually clean. Then as a boy grows older into a man, it's always the woman that chooses the mate..."_

"_So what you're saying is men never have a say in these things?"_

Fuming Drakken crossed his arms, _"I didn't, I mean...I always thought our relationship was purely profession. Next thing I know, I'm settled down and have two kids. I'm told what to pick up at the store, I drive a mini van. A MINI VAN, how can you be sinister and evil in a mini van? I don't get to run with my homies and try to take over the world anymore..."_

"_You're talking about your relationship with Sheila Go?"_

A loud sarcastic voice could be heard from off camera, _"Oy, of course he's talking about me..."_

He had seen the footage many times in the past. Still hearing Sheila Go's voice and her attitude always brought a smile to Eaton's face. _"Man, she can be a real ball buster."_

"_Look its simple Doc. Try to take over the world, have Princess track you down and kill you, like she did Dementor."_ Sheila Go reminded him from off camera.

Drakken straightened up in his chair and looked defiant. _"Every plan has its own set of draw backs. True, now that Kim Possible's running around executing people for Global Justice. It does pose a formidable challenge, one that I think I can overcome given enough time..."_

The woman conducting the interview for the History Channel had spoke up after hearing mention of a certain name. _"Kim Possible, I haven't heard that name in years..." _

"_Yeah, she used to run around and interfere with our plans. Her and that one guy that played football, I can never remember his name." _ Drew told the interviewer as he struggled to remember the name.

"_Stoppable, Ron Stoppable...You know the guy that sent us the great baby travel pack after Alicia was born."_ Sheila Go reminded him from off camera.

"_Oh yes, that was thoughtful. Never even got a card from Kim Possible..."_ Drakken fumed.

"_That's because her train left the tracks Doc..."_

Drew Lipsky screwed up his face, as he pondered a new take over the world strategy. _"Do you think she'd actually kill me? I mean, my plans never really hurt anyone. There was more property damage than anything else."_

"_NO, NO, NO, Look Drewbie, you got two kids, a mortgage and keeping me in the life style I've become accustomed to, to consider." _The annoyed voice of Sheila Go reminded him.

Eaton picked up a pen and quickly scribbled in his note book, _"Ask Coach Ron about Kim P. and some guy named Demented. Ask him also about Lipsky kids..."_

Drakken frowned, _"It wouldn't have to be the world. Maybe me and Killigan could dust off Monkey Fist and have a guy's night out? We could just overthrow a country or something? I mean, we could always give it back later."_

"_NO" _Came the firm response from off camera.

Pouting Drakken looked at the camera, _"She never lets me do anything fun."_

Eaton chuckled at the depressed former super villain, _"If anything she's keeping you from getting killed by the murderous Senator Possible. Have to ask the Coach for more background on Kim Possible..."_

"_Well now that we have that out of the way, let's try some questions about how you stopped the volcanic eruption at Mt. McKinney?"_ The woman asked as she tried to regain control of the interview.

Drew Lipsky screwed up his face, puzzled by the question the woman had just posed to him. _"Volcano, what volcano?"_

"_The one that..."_

"_There was never any volcano. It was aliens, why can't you people just admit it was aliens? The rest of the planet knows it was aliens, why cover it up from the American people?"_ Drakken fumed.

"_Hey Doc, remember the large donation to the Go Family Charities? It's a volcano already."_ The voice of Sheila Go reminded him from off camera.

Looking dejected Drew Lipsky slumped into his seat. _"Oh yeah, that volcano. I used a sonic endorameter based on the pan dimensional vortex inducer to effect a seismic reversal on Mt. McKinney. Or, something, like that."_

"_I'm told the flower pedals and the roaming vine attached to your body, are part of a failed botany experiment. Is this the experiment that left your skin with a bluish tint?"_

Drew Lipsky brightened considerably, _"It's funny you should ask about that. I remember it was a Tuesday..."_

Eaton reached over and stopped the program. He hit the eject button and the small disc slid out of the computer. He filed it away in slip case with the rest of his prized collection of Lowardian attack artifacts. He picked up his pen and made a few quick notes.

"_No wonder the History Channel shelved the idea for this program. It would have been laughed off the air in Europe. I have to show this interview to Coach Ron._

_After the interview, Drakken dies two years later, 12 years after the attack from an exotic cancer that is believed to have been the result of some past failed experiment. Alicia Go, Drew Lipsky and Sheila Go's daughter dies from the same cancer when she is 16._

_Only son Henry Michael survives. Curious note, both Sheila Go and Monique Stoppable name a son after deceased brothers. How many more children are out there named after deceased siblings?_

_Question, was Coach Ron or Kim Possible ever exposed to what Drew Lipsky succumbed to?"_

Putting his pen down, Eaton rubbed at the bridge of his nose. It had been a long day in his basement. He knew he should really head up stairs and spend time with his girls but he felt he unraveling some vast puzzle and he couldn't just let it go.

Eaton sighed, "It's early, head up at 5:00 for dinner. Then maybe head over to the Stoppable's and talk to Monique. I should probably call first."

Looking down at the slip case he pulled another disk from the collection. _"Because We Can, A film by Zita Flores."_ Eaton turned the disk over in his hands and then slipped it back into the case.

"_How could Zita Flores do what Dr. Drakken and Sheila Go couldn't do? How could she for that matter do what Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable could not do? Expose all the corruption and human rights violations of the local governments affected by the attack? She took them all down. I'll have to watch this documentary again or watch it with the Stoppables." _Eaton thought as he filed away the disk.

Turning to a cluttered pile of papers next to his desk, he uncovered a slim book. Looking it over as he mused about the books secret meaning. He read the title out loud, hoping it was shed new meaning on the contents of the book.

"The Liberating Power of Education in a Controlled Society, A Doctoral Thesis by Ronald D. Stoppable, B.S.E., M.A.E."

He paged through the thesis once again. He had read the work several times. Always looking for a new meaning or a twist, it was as if the old coach was leaving clues but he wasn't seeing them. In the work Ron Stoppable never mentioned what had happened in Middleton or even referred to the disaster the western states had to endure.

Glancing through the thesis he stopped to read a small segment, _"__The main misconception is to perceive the population under oppression to be silent, powerless victims under the thumb of a controlled society..."_

"_Eaton, come upstairs with us for a while. You've been down there long enough."_

Turning his attention to the voice from upstairs, he flipped the theses back onto his desk. Chuckling to himself, he thought of Drew Lipsky's rather unique view of who actually controlled the world. "I'm on my way upstairs Ruling Overlord."

"_What..."_

"I said, I'm on my way up." He said still chuckling as he grabbed Theodore, before climbing the steps.

He emerged into the light of the kitchen. His little girls were busying themselves around the kitchen table as Eaton's wife finished making dinner. The youngest girl spotted the bear first.

"My teddy..." The girl cried excitedly.

Eaton picked up his youngest daughter, "No, Tara not your teddy. He was your Grandma's. His name is Theodore."

The little girl took the bear away from him. A chill ran up and down Eaton's spine as he realized that it wasn't only the Go's and the Stoppable's that named children for deceased relatives. He had named his youngest daughter Tara Dee, after his deceased mother.

Megan the older daughter looked at her father and lifted an eyebrow, "What's that stain on the on the side of his head."

Eaton's wife turned and saw Theodore. She was not happy to see the old toy at her dinner table. "Eaton get that disgusting bear out of the kitchen."

"Chelsea, it was my mom's..." Eaton protested.

"I don't care whose it was, it's nasty. Now get that nasty bear out of my kitchen." She ordered as she pointed towards the back door.

Eaton figured it would be safer in the long run to give in. "Yes my Ruling Overlord."

"What was that?" Chelsea Trendle said angrily.

Moving quickly towards the door Eaton said. "Nothing, nothing..."

The tired looking woman eyed him as he made his way to the door, "Take the trash out as long as you're up."

Eaton stopped at the door and pulled the plastic trash bag from the can. "You just manipulated me to do your bidding didn't you?"

Chelsea pointed to the door, "Nasty bear...OUT."

Grumbling as he left the kitchen, Eaton dropped the trash bag into the large green dumpster on wheels before making his way to the car. "Sorry Theodore, wife says you have to go."

Opening the door to his small car Eaton caught himself before he tossed the bear unceremoniously into the front seat. Stopping himself in mid throw, he instead sat the bear down in the passenger's seat.

The pink tongue sticking out of the bears mouth struck Eaton that the toy was grateful that he didn't throw him into the car. He looked at the bear. Theodore did appear to have his own unique personality. He could see how the Stoppable's could be fond of the stuffed toy.

He grinned as he engaged the bear in a one sided conversation. "Yes she does look a lot like my mom." Eaton said as he thought about his 4 year old girl Tara Dee. Her hair wasn't as fair as her grandmother's but she did look an awful lot like her.

The bear's glass eyes starred expressionless out the windshield of the car. Eaton chuckled, "Yeah, I think mom would have been proud of her too."

A cloud passed over the sun throwing a shadow across the carport. For just a second Eaton could have sworn he saw the bear's eyes twinkle. Eaton smiled, "Sorry Theodore, she's only 4. A little young to be smoking cigars...You really are a nasty old bear."

* * *

Phoning ahead, Eaton Trendle had received the green light to visit with Monique Stoppable. In the background of the phone call was the sound of rather large party taking place. No doubt to celebrate the big win over Boston College. Monique's speech was slightly slurred, it sounded as if she had plenty to drink during the celebratory party. She became very excited as Eaton told her that Theodore would be coming with him.

Eaton and Theodore arrived at the security gate a little after 6:30 PM. He heard the gates motor hum to life as the barrier opened to allow him access to what he had jokingly referred to as 'Fortress Stopppable'. Looking over at the stuffed bear sitting next to him on the seat, "They're rolling out the red carpet for you. You better offer these folks some cigars are they're liable to make you swim in the pool."

Eaton stepped out of the car with Theodore. The front door opened and he was greeted by a much frazzled Annie Possible. She motioned for him to come inside, "Welcome to my nightmare. I swear, I hate it when mom ties one on."

Chuckling Eaton walked up the steps. "Monique has been doing some celebrating tonight?"

Annie nodded her head, "Oh yeah, she had the Lady Cane's club over tonight. They get a little loud and little rowdy."

She moved aside to allow Eaton and Theodore into the house. Eaton moved past her and pointed down the hallway. "Are they in the family room?"

"They were in the family room. The party broke up about an hour ago. Mom moved our little party out back by the pool." Annie said as she moved in front of Eaton to lead him outside.

Walking through the family room he glanced over at the unconscious form of Myracle sprawled out on the sofa. Cheyenne was kneeling next to her. She stood and joined Eaton and Annie as they headed to the pool. Eaton grinned, "Let me guess she helped herself to the refreshments."

Cheyenne giggled, "Helped herself to mom's refreshments."

Annie smirked, "Yeah, we give her one job. Make sure mom doesn't drink too much, and what does she do?"

"She helps herself to mom's cup whenever she isn't looking." Cheyenne finished.

"Which causes mom to drink more since her cup is always coming up empty..." Annie continued.

Cheyenne whispered as she saw Monique trying to stand up from her patio chair, "Which only caused mom to drink twice as much as she usually does at these things."

"HI YA EATON..." Monique shouted happily.

Annie raced forward to help her sit back down, "Mom, just sit here for a while."

Monique grinned happily, "OK..." Looking at Cheyenne she said, "How's your sister?"

Cheyenne smiled, "She'll live..."

Eaton grinned, "Hello Monique, looks like you and Myracle had quite a drinking competition going on tonight."

Snorting, Monique said. "I can table anyone under a drink."

Annie giggled, "She's on the couch."

Monique nodded her head, "I am so going to smack her when I sober up."

Eaton presented Theodore to Monique, "I know you were looking forward to seeing him."

Squealing Monique hugged the bear tightly to her. Then she pulled it away, "Look at you. Look at Theodore. You haven't changed a bit..."

Cheyenne smiled, "So that's the famous bear."

Monique nodded as she examined the bear closely. "Yeah, yeah..." She became quiet as she saw the blood stain on the back of Theodore's head. "Oh baby, oh baby, I'm so sorry." She said softly as she ran a hand down the side of the stuffed bears face.

"You can sit here Eaton." Cheyenne said as she motioned to an empty patio chair.

"Thank you Cheyenne..." He said as he sat down. He was unsure what to start the interview off with since it was obvious Monique wasn't in much condition to answer very many questions.

So he decided to question Coach Ronald Stoppable's oldest daughter. He had been curious about her since she was so much older than the other Stoppable children. He looked at Cheyenne and asked. "Not to be nosy or anything Cheyenne, but I know, Monique's children with the Coach Ron and I know Kim Possible's children with Coach Ron... If you don't mind me asking, whose daughter are you?"

Cheyenne smiled sadly, "My mother was a woman named Stacey Horton, a bar slut that dad picked up at the 2008 Las Vegas bowl. She and a friend of hers went back to dad's room with one of his teammates. They swapped my mother and her friend back and forth. Then something happened dad threw my mother's clothes at her and told her to get out of the room."

Monique shook her head, "And 11 months later Ron gets a court order demanding he submit to a DNA test."

Annie smiled, "Dad shoots, dad scores."

Cheyenne frowned, "Unfortunately my mom is a nut job who had a thing for Indians. She always fantasized about being with one of those muscle bound guys from the cover of those romance novels. So I get named Cheyenne Lakota...Cheyenne Lakota Starks."

"I had to break up with Ron to keep peace in the house. Connie Stoppable didn't want any little grand kids running around the place..." Monique said bitterly.

"Then I showed up." Cheyenne said in amusement.

Monique frowned, "You were dumped off. Your mother loved to party, so Ron gets tagged with a 347 a month child support bill and gets you in the process because..."

"Mom didn't want me around." Cheyenne finished.

"Yeah and Ron is still stuck with the child support payment. He can't take care of you at school by himself so. Grandma Stoppable and Monique get the job of taking care of you." Monique said angrily.

Eaton frowned, "So Coach Ron's mother made you two split up, because she was afraid that you two would have kids together?"

Monique turned the stuffed bear around on her lap so he could see Eaton, before she answered. "No...no...I think she thought we were rushing into things too quick. Ron and I started dating a day or two after Kim broke up with him." Monique smiled sadly, "He wanted me to go with him back to Wyoming."

Annie smiled, "So what do you think would have happened if you would have gone with him?"

Thinking it over Monique shrugged, "We probably would have broken up. I...I wasn't real mature back then."

"So was Ron's mother trying to protect you two then?" Eaton followed up.

Monique smiled, "Oh I guess. I had it bad for Ron back then."

Annie chuckled, "And you don't now?"

"Girl, I was pathetic back then." Monique giggled.

"When did you find out about the Ron and Kim Possible's break up?" Eaton asked.

Monique frowned, "I was there. We both got blown off at the same time."

Eaton said gently, "Do you want to talk about that day?"

Shaking her head, Monique said quietly. "Nope…I'm not real interested in reliving one of the worst days of my life."

The phone rang inside the house. Annie stood quickly, "I'll get it."

Eaton tried to think of another question to ask. It was difficult since Monique had been drinking and it was difficult to decide just how much information that she had could be truly useful. Scratching his chin he tried a new question, one that he hoped wouldn't be too sensitive in nature for her.

"Once you had moved in with the Stoppables, did you ever hear from your parents?"

Monique frowned, "Yeah, just once. It was in August of 2007. Ron was in Wyoming and the neighborhoods had some semblance of a postal service restored to us. So, I got brave and wrote my mother a letter."

"So this is about 2 months after the attack and your parents were still in Doe Run?" Eaton asked as he jotted down the information in his note book.

Hugging Theodore tightly, Monique nodded. "Yeah, I was afraid to write. I was afraid I'd get in trouble for not coming home. Connie Stoppable made me write. If for nothing else to let them know I was okay."

"How long did it take to get a reply?" Eaton asked softly.

Monique's eyes filled with tears, "About a week. Momma told me that she and Daddy were happy I was safe. Keyshawn was dead, and I was the only child they had left. They told me to stay where I was at. They were going to take the next shuttle bus out of the neighborhood and that we would all meet up again, if not in this life then in heaven."

Cheyenne gasped, "Oh no..."

Nodding her head, Monique continued her story. "The shuttle buses to Doe Run quit running at the end of June. It was too dangerous to go out that way. The National Guard was even afraid to go in there. I...I...think Momma and Daddy knew they didn't have long left..."

Monique began to cry softly, "They just didn't want me to...worry."

Cheyenne reached over and put her hand on top of Monique's as Annie came from out of the house. "That was Dad, he's going to be home in a couple of hours, and he's bringing a friend."

The sight of Monique crying brought her to a stop. "What did I miss?"

Looking up at her, Cheyenne said, "She was telling Eaton about her parent's last letter to her."

Monique smiled bravely and sat up in her chair, "Every night we could hear gun fire coming from the direction of Doe Run. Funny thing was, no one in the neighborhoods was allowed to have guns. So that meant everyone naturally had one."

The small group chuckled nervously while Monique continued her tale. Shaking her head and frowning Monique said. "Then one night in September, the sky glowed orange. One of our neighbors came over and told us that Doe Run was burning, and the emergency services were afraid to send anyone out there to try and put out the fires."

Cheyenne leaned over, "Maybe your Mom and Dad were able to get away?"

Monique shook her head, "I was hoping that too. They found them in a field just outside the neighborhood. They had lain out there for about a week before they were found. Connie Stoppable and I would head out to Smarty Mart every day and look at the big message boards. One board was for people that were dead. The other board was for trying to find people that were missing. Their names appeared on the dead list one day. I was...I'm still blown away. It just seemed so...unreal."

Eaton felt that Monique was past the crying stage, and it appeared that the intense emotions had burned off the influence of the alcohol she had consumed earlier. So felt it was safe to probe a little further into her past. "So were you able to claim the bodies?"

"No, no, Connie and Walter drove me out to where the Red Cross was setup. My parents were laid to rest with the other victims in the Twin Pines Cemetery that was just down the road from the neighborhood. I didn't have any money for a headstone but Daddy was in the navy so the VA supplied their headstones." Monique told him, her voice devoid of emotion.

"Did you have any other family in the area?" Eaton asked.

"I had a few aunties and uncles but...I didn't know how to reach them or even if they survived. So...I've been alone ever since." Monique said sadly.

No one said anything. Monique had finished her piece and was now clutching the stuffed bear to her chest tightly. Eaton now understood why Coach Ron had always said that Monique had a much tougher time of it than he did.

Annie cleared her throat, "So...have you ever gone back to see their graves?"

Monique shook her head, "No, no...I've only been back to Middleton twice, once for the 10 and 25 year high school reunions. I only saw the graves before the headstones were in place. I had to get the plot numbers for the forms that I had to send in. I was a mess for about a month or two after that."

Trying to lighten the mood, Eaton thought of a new question to ask. A question that just popped into his mind, a question that he figured the other girls would like to hear as well. "So what was it like to date the young Dr. Stoppable?"

The three women laughed. Annie smiled, "Daddy was hell on wheels wasn't he?"

Cheyenne grinned, "All tongues and hands?"

Monique laughing shook her head, "No, no, your daddy was a sweetie...I was all tongues and hands."

Annie laughed and clapped her hands as she leaned back in her chair, "Ewwww, you go girl."

Cheyenne grinned, "Daddy was hot stuff, huh?"

Laughing Monique nodded, "Girl when your Daddy played football in high school he weighted about a 150 pounds, and not one defined muscle in his whole body. You're your Daddy left for Wyoming he was skin and bones, and weighed in when he reported for his physical at a 132."

Turning her attention to Annie, Monique said. "Now when your Daddy came back from Wyoming and your mother dumped him. He was a very buff 178 pounds of good lookin' man."

Annie grinned, "Mom was crazy then?"

Monique laughed, "When we saw your Momma for the first time. She had cut her hair short and bleached it blonde. Hell yeah she was crazy."

Cheyenne grinned, "Her loss, your gain?"

Monique nodded, "Oh hell yeah."

Eaton grinned, realizing he had hit upon a topic that Monique would enjoy talking about. He hated probing difficult subjects when Coach Ron wasn't around. Now that he knew he was on his way home. He could relax a bit and not have to worry about him coming home and finding his wife in tears.

Handing Theodore to Annie, Monique motioned towards an empty spot on the table that was free of empty beer cups. "Sit that bear down, he'll like this story."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hey all be sure to read Chapter 11 for this one to make sense. I'm really enjoying writing this story. It's really fun creating all the layers and nuances of this story. Thanks for hanging with me during my long absence. Once again write a review receive a reply.**

**  
Bubba**

* * *

It had been an emotional 24 hours, Ron and his mother stood outside Hana and Monique's bedroom trying to coax her out. Ever since they had returned from Country Club Estates the previous day, Monique had been almost nonstop in tears. Ron lightly tapped on the door, "Monique, do you want to go with me up to the mall? It looks like they my have part of it open by the end of the year. Maybe you can go back to work for Club Banana?"

"_I'm not coming out, I'm too ugly and I don't want anyone to see me."_ Monique said firmly from behind the closed door.

Mrs. Stoppable frowned at her son and mumbled something unintelligible under her breath. It was her turn to try and coax the young girl out of hiding. She tapped on the door, "Come on out honey. I told you before that, that...Kim Possible was the ugly one yesterday, not you."

"_She said I was ugly...said that was the reason I couldn't get a boyfriend." _ Monique sobbed from behind the door.

Hana pushed in between Ron and his mother and tapped on the door. "Mo Mo can Rufus come in and get my Flippie dolls?"

"_Yeah, OK..."_

Hana turned the door knob and opened the door. Rufus walked past the group and stepped into the room. But not before turning around and giving his previous owner a loud raspberry. _"Blpppppppppppp"_

Ron chuckled, "Oh yea, its all about Hana now."

Giggling as Ron picked her up, Hana said. "Rufus is my buddy now."

"He's been your buddy for quite awhile now, squirt." Ron said softly as he waited for naked mole rat to reemerge from the bedroom.

Shortly the door reopened and Rufus emerged carrying a brightly colored doll. With a big grin on the little mole rat's face he proudly held up his prize. _"Hey...Flippies..."_

Hana squirmed out of Ron's grasp, grabbed the doll and ran off down the hallway with Rufus following after her. "Come on Rufus. Let's go play."

Ron and his mother now returned to the job of trying to coax Monique out of the bedroom. Ron tried once again to get her to come outside. "You're not ugly Monique. I wanted to ask you out in high school."

Mrs. Stoppable looked at her son sternly and whispered, "Don't say anything unless you mean it."

"_Really..."_ Monique's puzzled response came from behind the door.

Looking at his mother just as sternly Ron whispered back, "I do mean it. She likes wrestling and Bueno Nacho."

Connie Stoppable rolled her eyes, "Figures..."

Turning his attention back to the girl behind the door he said. "Yea, yea I do Monique. The only reason I never asked you was...I was afraid you'd laugh at me."

A long silence ensued that was broken by a loud snort, _"Yeah, I probably would have."_

Chuckling Ron told her, "See you're not ugly, just...picky."

They could hear Monique sniffling from behind the door. It was working they were finally beginning to get through to her. A soft chuckle could be heard next as the door knob turned, "I...I'm coming out. Don't look amy hair..."

Connie Stoppable smiled, "If I knew of a hair saloon around here, we'd just take you there and get you some new hair extensions."

Monique emerged form the bedroom. Ron frowned as he saw she was keeping her face towards the ground. He still couldn't get over how skinny she was. The outfit that he had bought for her from the Club Banana in Casper Wyoming was at least two sizes too big for her. Ron licked his lips as he tried to think of something to say that wouldn't upset the girl and send her crying back into the bedroom. "You know you really do look good with short hair."

Looking up into Ron's face, Monique said. "You really think so? I mean, yesterday..."

Ron shrugged, "Yesterday I thought you were tugging out your real hair."

Chuckling, Monique shook her head, "No, no those were hair extensions...they were nasty and old anyway."

"So you want to go look at the mall?" Ron asked again.

Monique looked up nervously, "You...you don't think there will be any police around do you?"

Wincing at the memory of the previous day when after their shortened visit with Kim, they had been harassed by the police as they tried to leave Country Club Estates, the policeman was particularly hard on Monique. Ron understood her reluctance to want to go back outside. "No, no, those jerks are assigned to security for the...Residents."

Frowning, Monique caught the bitterness of how Ron had said Residents. After their ordeal yesterday they had both come to hate the people in Country Club Estates. Taking a deep breath and nodding her head she decided that getting out might be a good thing to do. After all she could feel safe enough, now that she knew Ron would be willing to take a bullet to protect her. "I...I just don't want any trouble...like yesterday."

Connie Stoppable smiled, "There won't be any trouble. The Middleton Mall is nowhere near...those people."

The group walked up the hallway. Ron was still staring at Monique's hair. In all the time he had known her, he had always thought that her long hair was real. Monique noticed him looking at her and said, "I tried to grow it long but it didn't look right."

Startled that she had caught him staring Ron blurted out, "You look good with short hair."

Monique frowned, "No I don't I look ugly."

They reached the living room. Rufus playfully gave Ron another raspberry, _"Blppppppppp"_

Ron and Rufus had started playing a game when he returned from college. Rufus would give him the raspberry and Ron would make a few threats. Rufus would run behind Hana, who would give him a mean face and tell him to leave Rufus alone. It was a game both Ron and the little mole rat enjoyed.

"You better watch it Rufus. I'll put you between two pieces of bread and make a sandwich out of you."

Hana made a fist, and shook it at Ron. "No one's going to eat Rufus."

Frowning at the little girl, Ron nodded, "Yea, he'd only be about 2 bites."

Connie Stoppable laughed, "Now that's enough teasing your sister. Take Monique out and show her the mall."

Ron opened the front door of the mobile home and motioned for Monique to go out ahead of him. "Ladies first…"

Monique said nothing. She hung her head and walked out the door. She walked out the door and shook her head at the sight of Ron's truck. Some of the player's parents had befriended him when he arrived in the broken down old truck and had restored it to where it looked almost new.

Taking a deep breath she decided to try and enjoy herself. Yesterday was over and Ron would never go back to Country Club Estates. It was hard to believe that Kim had changed so much over the course of the year. Even harder to believe she was going to marry that Count Eduardo person.

Glancing over at Ron she noted he seemed to be taking getting dumped pretty well. Monique thought if he wasn't as busy as he was and had more time to dwell on what happened that he probably would become a basket case. He would probably chase Kim around begging her to not to dump him.

Climbing into the front seat of the truck she watched Ron slide in and put the keys in the ignition. She tilted her head as she started to think about Ron instead of herself. It was almost as if he was more concerned about her than about himself. Monique winced as she realized why. She had in his mind freaked out and yanked out her hair.

"Ready to go?"

Monique jumped involuntarily. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she was startled when Ron spoke. She recovered quickly. "Yeah, just…don't do anything to get pulled over."

Ron glanced over towards her and nodded, "No problem, we'll just take a quick run by the mall and maybe drop by Smarty Mart for a bit."

Monique chuckled, "You're always going to Smarty Mart."

"There's no place else to go around here." Ron reminded her.

Sighing, Monique had to agree, "Yeah…"

Driving down the dirt road of the neighborhood, Ron glanced into the review mirror at all the dust that was being churned up behind his truck. "Shame we don't have grass like over in Country Club."

Monique frowned, "I can't believe they don't have to ration."

"Fucking Residents…."

The obscenity surprised Monique. She had never heard Ron curse before. It was the way he said it that truly disturbed her. It was said with a bitterness that bordered on hatred. She looked out the window and thought about the previous day. How Ron carried himself. He knew he was going to get dumped. He just wanted to go through the formality.

Kim was wrong about him. He had matured. He wasn't the quaint childlike companion of her youth. She still couldn't believe that she had said that to Ron. She understood why Ron didn't tell her to stuff it. He was as shocked as she was. Monique exhaled heavily before she addressed Ron. "You knew what you were getting into yesterday didn't you?"

Ron looked at her strangely, "Huh?"

Monique started to explain what she meant but before she could a large bronze colored Hummer H2 swerved into their lane. She screamed as it looked as though they were going to collide with the large vehicle. "LOOK OUT!"

The horn of the Hummer H2 sounded and the driver flipped Ron the bird as he made no effort to avoid the collision. As the vehicle passed by Monique could see two very familiar looking people in the front seat. "Was that Jim and Tim Possible?"

"Yep"

Monique turned around and looked as the vehicle swerved crazily to regain control. The Hummer H2 righted itself and continued on down the road at a high rate of speed. "What did they do that for?"

Ron's face was turning a deep shade of red. "A game of chicken, they wanted to see who would blink first."

Swallowing hard, she fought to calm herself. She knew that Ron had been having problems with the Possible twins at work dating back to before he left for Wyoming. "Still having problems with them at work?"

Nodding his head slowly, Ron said in a low menacing voice. "One of these days those little bastards are going to remember who their fucking with."

Monique swallowed hard again. This time Ron's bitterness was accentuated by a small barely noticeable flash of blue light in his eyes. She decided not to pursue the Possible twins but to ask him about yesterday. "Uh…What I was saying earlier. You knew Kim was going to dump you before you went over there."

Ron let out a deep breath to focus his thoughts and try to block Jim and Tim from his mind. He shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, I started a Myspace page a few years ago. I never did anything with it. When things got boring at school, I dressed it up."

Screwing up her face, Monique said, "What's that got to do with anything."

Glancing at her, Ron said. "I'm getting there. Anyway, Kim had one so we…were trading messages back and forth when she first arrived in England. This went on for a few weeks. We'd tell each other how much we missed each other, stuff like that. I was busy with football and school, so it took awhile to realize that I hadn't heard from Kim in about a month."

"You had to have noticed she wasn't writing before then?" Monique asked him. She didn't quite believing that Kim and Ron had actually lost touch with one another.

Ron grinned, "Monique from the moment I get up in the morning to lights out at 11:00, my life is pretty regimented. Not much free time, and when I have free time. I'm usually in the books. Any the last email I got from her was telling me that she had made some friends and discovered pubs."

Laughing Ron looked at Monique, and explained. "I didn't think that was strange. Since…I had met new friends and discovered bars."

A light bulb went off in Monique's head. "Ohhhhhhhhhh"

"So about two months before the end of the spring semester I get a new friend request. The request was from Yori and she had bumped into Kim in France and was excited to learn that I was back on the market." Ron explained.

Monique's eyebrows went up, "Yori, in France?"

Ron nodded his head, "Yeah, strange huh? So I messaged her and asked her what she was talking about. She tells me that Kim said I was available since she had recently become engaged…to someone less worthy."

Monique chuckled, "The blonde bimbo deserves what she gets."

"Ummmmmm….yeah…after yesterday….my thoughts exactly. So to make a long story short, I sort of had an idea what was going to happen. I just wish I would have left you at home." Ron said sadly, as they entered into the construction area outside Middleton Mall.

Thinking about it Monique nodded her head, "I was so excited. I figured with Kim back in town, we'd run around together like we used to do. I...I just thought...it would be like it used to be."

Ron frowned as he opened the door to the truck, "It'll never be like it used to be."

Monique hopped out of the truck. "So you took me along knowing you were going to get dumped?"

"Monique...I'm sorry but my mind was really on other things yesterday. I...I just didn't think it through." Ron said sadly as walked across the cracked pavement that used to be the parking lot for the Middleton Mall.

Looking around nervously for police cars she followed after him. Looking at the rebuilding of the old mall, she came to a halt. Ron continued ahead a bit and stopped as well. He turned back to look at her.

Frowning Monique said, "We used to spend so much time here. It's hard to believe it's all gone sometimes."

"I know..." Ron responded sympathetically.

"Your mind's on other things now isn't it?" Monique asked, concerned by Ron's sullen attitude.

Looking around Ron sighed, "Yes, yes it is. I'm wondering if it was all worth it. Oh sure...I helped save the world and for what? To have us become second class citizens...to be treated like dirt because our parents didn't have important jobs."

He turned and looked back towards the mall and then back at Monique. "To see the way you and I were treated for just visiting someone. Maybe Kim was right, maybe it's time to get out of this hell hole and never come back."

"Shit hole..."

"What..." Ron said, confused by Monique's answer.

"Kim called Middleton a shit hole." She reminded him.

Placing his hands on his hips, he looked around at all the construction going on. After his conversation with his parents the previous night, he learned that only businesses were being rebuilt. So far only the very privileged had been approved for having their homes rebuilt.

"Well she was right. At least she's out of this mess...Going to become royalty." He spat bitterly.

Monique crossed her arms, "I don't know why she had to go to Europe to become royalty. Looks like the Residents live like royalty right here."

Turning to look once again at the construction on the mall, she could see that there were still a lot of things running through Ron's mind. He turned back to face her, "I've seen enough, let's get out of here."

She turned and walked back towards the truck. She saw a police car in the distance and froze from fear. The incident at the Country Club Estates now ran through her mind again. Her breathing grew shallow as she watched the Chevrolet Impala police car cruise past.

Ron walked up next to her and whispered, "It's alright, he's headed up towards Beltline."

Becoming light headed Monique swooned from the combination of the July heat and not having eaten since the morning before. She reached out and grabbed Ron by the arm to keep from collapsing. The dizziness passed, she could hear Ron asking if she was alright. She was alright, and she had for the first time really noticed the physical changes in Ron physique.

Instead of latching onto an arm that was soft, his arm was solid. Ron's shoulders were wider and his biceps were very much in evidence. She stepped back a bit as Ron asked her again if she was alright. She looked over his body once again. He was heavier then he had been in high school, the weight had come from muscle. No telling how many hours a day Ron was spending at school lifting weights. Licking her lips she thought, _"Kim was right, you do look delicious."_

Ron looked at her strangely as her hand ran up and down his arm, feeling his muscles. "Monique, are you alright?"

Pulling her hands away from his arm, she smiled sheepishly. "I...I felt dizzy."

Having no real understanding of girls, Ron merely nodded but said nothing. He looked at Monique strangely, unsure about what to do next. Did she find him attractive? Was she really just dizzy and have no real interest in him. Letting out a deep breath he decided to go for broke. Reaching out he took her hand in his, "Let's go get something to eat." He told her.

Monique's heart was beating a mile a minute. She was trying to sort out all of the internal messages her body was sending her. In high school she used to pretend to be all knowing about relationships, freely giving out her sage and learned advice to people whether they wanted it or not.

In reality she didn't know anymore than anyone else. She had never had a boyfriend, never mind even holding hands with one. Her mind was racing as they crossed the 15 foot gap between where they were and the truck. She thought for a quick moment about Wade but shut that image out of her mind. He hadn't really been a boyfriend. He had taken advantage of her after she was exposed to that device he had made.

She didn't have much time to think. Ron opened the door to the truck, "Snack Bar at Smarty Mart sound good?"

Monique tried to say something clever but the only sound that came out of her mouth was a weak, "Oh...okay."

Cursing herself as Ron walked around the front of the truck to the driver's side. She wanted to be funny and flippant, just as she had in her imagination but her mind wasn't coming up with anything clever to say. As Ron climbed in the truck, Monique blurted out. "So I guess you lifted weights?"

Ron blinked for a moment before he answered. "Yeah...yeah, in school, I did...lift weights."

Embarrassed Monique nervously said. "I...I noticed, how much...bigger you were."

Starting the truck, Ron nodded his head. He was feeling awkward as well. Except he wasn't trying to think of anything clever, he was just trying to sort out how he really felt about Monique. "Yeah...they wouldn't let me suit up for spring football practice unless I weighed at least 175 pounds."

Oh...so you weigh 175 now. Have you ever weighed that much before? I mean...when you were not some kind of genetic freak?" Monique asked before kicking herself at how stupid the question sounded.

Ron laughed, "Oh sure just rub it in about me Grande sizing everything."

Monique stammered nervously, "I...I...didn't mean..."

Smiling at her, Ron shook his head. "No, no I weighed in at 150 pounds when I played in high school. I weighed a 132 when I showed up in Laramie."

Stunned at this revelation, Monique was thrust back into reality. Ron was just skin and bones when he had left for school a year ago. She had quite forgotten how much weight everyone had lost. Ron had bought her a new outfit from Club Banana on his way home from school. It was the size she used to wear, but now it hung off her loosely and made her think of herself as a scare crow.

She sat in silence as she ran the last year back in her head. The year had been a long one. Her family had died, Ron leaving for school, Ron coming home for the holidays. Bringing elk meat with him, he had been introduced to hunting from a few of his teammates. He had shot the elk in November and had the meat processed so he could bring it home with him for them to eat. Meat being such a scarce commoditie around the tri-county area, it was consumed happily.

She remembered the excitement of Ron coming home at the end of May, the early excitement of Kim returning from Europe. Then it all went horribly wrong. Kim was a jerk. But now it had all worked out somehow. It had been a long and difficult year to get through, and now here she was with what appeared to be her first real boyfriend.

The truck pulled to a stop in the Smarty Mart parking lot. Ron made no effort to move as he stared out the windshield. Monique looked at what he was staring at. It was Jim and Tim Possible's Hummer exiting the parking lot from the opposite end of where they were parked.

Ron watched it turn onto Route 203 and disappear into the distance. He looked at Monique and smiled. "Well they knew I was off, so I guess they figured they'd come up here and mess with Barkin. Only Barkin knows how to disappear into the woodwork."

Monique nodded and then thought. "Why don't you just disappear when they show up?"

Opening the door, Ron said. "Well the little assholes ask for me by name. If I'm not around, they have me paged over the intercom."

Sliding out of the truck Monique said. "That's terrible..."

"Yep" Ron said as he came around the truck to meet her and slipped his arm around her waist.

Monique thought about protesting. She thought about her conversation with Kim back in high school. One day in the cafeteria when they saw Brick walking next to Bonnie with his arm around her waist. She remembered narrowing her eyes and in a snide voice telling Kim that she knew Bonnie was having sex with Brick because girls only let guys put their arm around their waist is if they were having sex...or were soon going to have sex.

She let Ron's arm stay around her waist. She wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked towards the entrance. Her head was swimming once again. Were she and Ron going to have sex? Was Ron going to expect sex? Surely not she thought, after all they had barely known one another.

Biting her lip and silently cursing herself over the stupidity of her last thought. She had a new one to replace it with. _"Barely know one another. I've been living with his family for over a year. I probably know more about this guy than Kim does."_

Her mind continued to swirl as they made their way into the snack bar. Ron led her to a booth, the same friendly yellow booth that she had seated herself in over a year ago. The same yellow booth that she had sat in for over three days, when she decided she wasn't going to go home anymore.

"I'll be right back." He told her as he turned and walked towards the snack bar counter.

Monique looked around the large super store. Things had changed over the course of a year. There were more employees. She could see the shelves were now full of merchandise. Looking over towards the grocery side she could see food on the shelves, although not a lot of food. The largest crowd was around the caged area where the meat, milk and bread were kept. Rationing was still in effect.

Ron returned with 2 bottles of diet orange Sunkist soda and 2 small packs of Fig Newton cookies. He sat them down in front of Monique, "Snack Bar still doesn't have much snackage but what snackage they have is…strange and unique."

Grinning Monique opened the orange soda, "Thank you..."

"Yeah, we get odds and ends in. It's kind of like over in grocery, what food we get is strange and off brand. Taco shells without any of the other taco fixings, lots of rice and Stove Top stuffing." He told her as slid into the booth across from her.

Opening her package of Fig Newtons, she took a bit and closed her eyes as she savored the flavor of the cookie. Her mind wondered to other foods she hadn't seen in a while. "You know what I miss, that I never thought I'd miss?"

Ron smiled as he watched her dreamy expression when she bit into the cookie. "What..."

"Hotdogs" She said wistfully.

"Shaaaaaa, it is to dream girl…although we do carry the buns." Ron said with a laugh.

Monique laughed, "They go good with the taco shells."

"…or the instant potatoes." Ron added.

They both laughed nervously. Ron took a drink of his soda as he tried to think of something clever to say. He thought about telling Monique that she wasn't ugly and that plenty of guys out there, in here, in this booth thought she was quite attractive. But he dismissed the idea. It reminded him too much of what he had said to Kim the night of the junior prom three years before.

"Stoppable, Wilson, out shopping today I see."

Ron grinned and turned around, "Hey Steve, just taking my lady friend out for a meal."

Steve Barkin flinched, "Its Mr. Barkin to you. While I may not be store manager any longer, I am still your CSM."

Grinning broadly at the Customer Service Manager, Ron replied, "Only when I'm on the clock."

Barkin frowned, "That's it Stoppable, you have 15 minutes. Then you clock in. The Possible boys were just in and left me with an urge to order people around."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Oh man, come on. I saw em' leave it's not like they're going to crawl out from under that rock of theirs just to come back here."

Grinning happily at Ron's displeasure, Barkin said. "Give me 4 hours of work and that'll make you 18 hours of overtime for the week."

Turning towards Monique for help in avoiding the work schedule, he found no help coming. Monique pointed towards Barkin, "Clock in, you need that money for school."

Slumping in his seat, Ron pouted. "Oh man, no one ever gives me a break."

Smiling happily at Monique he noticed she had a different look then what he was used to. "New look Wilson? Get your hair done? Looks nice...Remember Stoppable, 15 minutes."

Ron saw the expression on Monique's face as she slid down in her seat, after Barkin noticed her hair. "Are you going to be okay waiting for me till I get off?"

Monique smiled sadly, "I waited her for 3 days once, 4 hours is a walk in the park."

They made small talk for a few more minutes before Ron left to go to his locker to don his Smarty Mart vest and clock in. Now Monique had time for her head to clear. Was this a real relationship or just an infatuation of a lonely girl who was mistreated? Did Ron really like her or was he just feeling sorry for her? Or was he just on the rebound from being dumped by Kim?

She thought on the matter and decided she didn't like the answers her brain was feeding her. She felt ugly without her makeup, nice clothes and of course her hair extensions. Sliding out of the booth she walked around the women's clothes and shook her head. Even away from the fashion scene for the last year didn't make a difference. Smarty Mart clothing was still ugly.

Sighing Monique thought, _"Well ugly clothing for ugly girls."_

Returning an outfit back on the rack she watched other people picking through the clothes. They didn't seem to be a bit bothered by the fact that the clothes were ugly. Frowning Monique walked away. She knew the way things were around Middleton that it was not a good idea to be a fashion snob.

She hung her head and returned to the snack bar to wait for Ron. She had so looked forward to Kim coming home. Talking about boys and clothes, giggling about how much Ron had changed over the course of the year. Instead it was Kim who took a drastic change, a change for the worse.

It was easy for Monique to understand Kim blowing her off the way she did. She had really only known the former redhead for a few years. Ron however was a different story. She had known him for 15 years. Nearly all her life and it counted for nothing. She didn't even have the common decency to ask her to leave so she could talk to him in private. No, she just smiled and threw their relationship and their long friendship right out the window.

Pulling a napkin from the dispenser on the table, she began to tear it into little pieces as she thought things over. Ron said he would have asked her out when they first met but he was afraid she'd laugh at him. Tearing a long strip from the napkin, Monique found she couldn't argue with that. She would have laughed long and hard and teased him for ages.

Looking up she saw Ron pushing a pallet jack full of Sugar Puffs towards the grocery section. She turned her attention back towards the napkin. No, no she wouldn't have teased him. She would have laughed him off and let him down gently. Ron would have then shrugged and returned to the life he had known so well. Running around with Kim, and being alone.

"_Would it be wrong for them to find comfort in one another's arms after such a disastrous day, the day before?"_ Monique thought. She didn't find Ron's touch unpleasant or unwelcome. It didn't feel forced or as if he were doing it just to get back at Kim.

Shaking her head Monique threw the shredded napkin down on the table. This was all wrong, it was happening too fast. What would happen if Kim just walked into the store, found Ron and told him it was all a joke and that they could go right on with their relationship? Would Ron jump at the chance? He probably would and where would that leave me? _"Hurt that's where it would leave me."_ She thought sadly.

Taking a fresh napkin from the dispenser she began to tear tiny strips off as she thought some more. She grinned as she thought about what the real likelihood of Kim actually coming into the store was? She only came home to say goodbye and then she wanted out of Middleton as quickly as she could. Grinning happily Monique thought. _"No, the likelihood of Kim ever coming back is about as likely as an alien species invading and blowing up most of the state."_

Crossing her arms, Monique realized it was decision time. Was it worth taking a chance and going ahead with a relationship with Ron so soon after his breakup? Or was the risk just too great? Monique let out a deep breath. She had reached a decision. _"Damn it, I have just as much a right to being happy as anyone else. I'm going to do it. I'm going to be Ron's girlfriend and he'll forget all about Kim and love me for who I am._"

Waiting another 2 hours for Ron to get off work was boring. Monique was all excited and happy about the prospect of finally having a boyfriend that it was near torture to watch the clock.

Finally Ron was off work he walked to the front of the store. Monique jumped up from the booth, wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Ron chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her. "You're in a much better mood."

Monique rubbed her face against Ron's chest. "I…I just had to think a few things through."

Ron grinned, "Ahhhhhhhhhh, I think we better get out of the store before Barkin makes me go back on the clock for PDA issues."

Releasing her embrace, Monique took his hand and pulled him towards the exit. The thought of getting into trouble for public displays of affection excited her. She never had anyone to have public displays of affection with before and she wanted to waste no time in getting down to it.

Laughing and running to keep up, Ron had wondered what had gotten into her. He much preferred Monique like this instead of bawling her eyes out in Hana's room. They ran to his truck and pulled up beside the passenger side door. Monique hugged Ron tightly once again. Ron returned the hug and pulled back just a bit. Monique was now gazing into his eyes.

Putting his hand to the side of her face, Ron said softly. "You are not ugly. No one ever thought you were ugly."

Monique looked up at him glassy eyed. She could hear him but he sounded so far away from her. All she could manage to force out was a soft. "Oh..."

Ron leaned forward to kiss her. She closed her eyes and waited for the kiss. Hesitating for only a moment, he pulled back. He had only ever kissed Kim. The kiss with Bonnie didn't really count because she kissed him. No in his mind he had only ever kissed Kim, and now here he was getting ready to kiss another girl, a girl of a different race. Hesitating only a moment before he committed.

Monique had her eyes closed, and she was trembling. This was it, this was to be her first real kiss. She wondered what was taking Ron so long to kiss her. Just as she was about to open her eyes, she felt his lips meet hers. An audible moan escaped her lips as she felt herself melting into Ron's body. She was tasting forbidden fruit, fruit that until yesterday belonged to Kim.

Kissing her again, and again, he let an eye lid open to look at Monique. She was on a cloud, and he was reassured that he was actually kissing her and it wasn't just some work induced delirium. Opening his mouth slightly he stuck his tongue out against her lips tentatively. Another loud moan escaped her lips before her tongue met his.

Her legs were shaking so badly Monique could hardly stand up. She broke the passionate tongue kiss and rested her head against Ron's chest. Breathing heavily, she tried to speak, "I...ohhhhhhh..."

Steadying her as best he could, Ron looked at her to make sure she was alright. "You okay?"

"Uh huh" Monique said breathlessly as she tightened her embrace around Ron's body. She was trying to burn every last detail into her memory. This was one of the most exciting moments of her life and she desperately wanted to remember it.

Leaning back Ron put his hand under chin and lifted her gaze to meet his. "Let's get out of here. There's something I want to check out."

He opened the door and Monique, her legs still quivering slid into the truck. _"He wants to check out something?"_ She thought. Now she was worried. She didn't know if she was ready to go much further. Not this quick, the other side of her brain however was being fueled by her hormones. She was ready for anything Ron was going to ask of her.

Ron had not said a word since they had left Smarty Mart. This was making Monique crazy. Was he going to take her to some dark secluded spot in which he was going to let his hands roam over her whole body? Closing her eyes, she silently hoped that his was the case. Opening her eyes she began to recognize where they were. Even in the dark she knew they were nearing Country Club Estates.

Monique swallowed hard, now becoming very afraid. She did not want a replay of what had happened yesterday. Glancing nervously at Ron she asked, "So where are we going?"

"Access Road BB..." Ron said firmly. His jaw was firmly set and his eyes were sharp as he pulled off the road.

Reaching unconsciously towards the top button on her outfit, Monique undid the button. If Ron wanted to go further, she was going to offer no resistance. Suddenly the dome light came on, bathing them both in a soft yellow light.

She heard Ron curse and close the door quickly. He reached up to the roof of the truck and pulled the cover off of the dome light. He pulled the bulb out and set them both on the dash. Ron looked over towards Monique in the darkness and said, "Let's go?"

Now becoming fearful again, she asked nervously. "Go...go where?"

"You'll see." He said as he slid out of the truck.

"I...I'm not so sure this is a good idea?" Monique protested.

Ron frowned. "Of course this isn't a good idea, but I'm doing it anyway."

Monique followed him into a depression beside the road, and up the other side. She whispered to him, "Where are we going?"

Ron pointed up the hill towards the tree line, "That way."

Monique growled as she tried to keep up with him, "That's not much help."

As they reached the top of the hill, Monique looked around at a clearing. Ron was moving low, so she crouched down to mimic him. Moving along the tree line she now knew where they were. The backside of the golf course, they were heading towards the Club House of the Country Club.

Pulling up to a stop, Ron remained in a crouched position. Monique was breathing just a bit hard from the unexpected exertion. "What are we doing?"

Ron leaned over and whispered. "I over heard some Residents at Smarty Mart. Apparently they are having a big Starvation Ball tonight at the Middleton Country Club."

Monique tilted her head, "A what?"

"A Starvation Ball, a big party for the Residents to eat as much as possible. The idea is that the more they eat...the more of us starve." Ron spat bitterly under his breath.

Monique turned her attention towards the Country Club across the golf course from them. There was definitely a party going on. The parking lot was full of expensive cars. She could see people dressed in tuxedos and evening gowns chatting happily as they entered the club.

"I've heard of these and I always thought it was just talk." Ron whispered as he could see servers carrying around trays of drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

Nodding her head, Monique whispered. "I'd say it's real. Can we go now?"

Monique let out a yip as the golf course sprinkler system kicked on. Several powerful streams of water could be seen. The high pressure sprinklers oscillated from right to left. Ron didn't flinch. His temper was now building.

The day before when he and Monique went to visit Kim, they were amazed as they entered Country Club Estates. All of the double wide mobile homes were on paved streets. People were outside watering their lawns and washing their cars as if the Lawardian attack had never took place.

The streets of Pheasant Run along with the other neighborhoods had dirt roads. When the roads were dry, layers of red dust would cover everything. If it rained the roads became quagmires. Water rationing made it impossible for the neighborhoods to have grass in the yard. They were still on a rationing program. The neighbors were only allowed to use the showers two days a week. Electricity was supplied by large industrial diesel generators that were shut off every night promptly at 10:00 PM.

Ron had made a pretty good living supplying gasoline powered generators. As soon as the neighborhood generators were shut off. Ron or his dad would step outside and fire up the generator. The generator allowed the Stoppables to run their air conditioner unit in the summer, and more importantly it allowed them to run the furnace in the winter time. So the family could survive during the harsh Colorado winters.

Monique followed close to Ron. She wanted to get out of there and back home as fast as she could. They made their way carefully down the slope they had climbed earlier. Monique was grateful that she wore her jogging shoes and not her dress shoes, and then she mentally kicked herself. She had only two pair of shoes and neither of them was fancy.

Turning to make sure Monique was keeping up, Ron whispered, "I think we'll head back home now."

"Sounds good to me." She replied happily as she could now see the small pickup truck.

As they reached the truck, Ron grabbed Monique and passionately kissed her. Monique's head was swimming. As she returned the kiss she became aware they were momentarily illuminated before darkness returned. A car had horn sounded as a vehicle passed their parked truck.

Ron listened until he could no longer hear the car. He broke the kiss off, "Always looking for a good excuse for kissing my new hottie."

Monique grinned, "I think I hear another car."

Chuckling Ron opened her door. "Plenty of time for that later, let's get out of here."

Getting settled into her seat, she watched as Ron ran around the front of the truck. He climbed in quickly, replaced the bulb for the dome light and the cover before starting the engine. He turned on the dome light to make sure it was working and quickly extinguished it. "Residents are having a big party. So that means the highway patrol is going to be thick. So we don't want to do anything to look suspicious."

Frowning Monique nodded her head, "I don't want to see any more cops after yesterday."

Ron nodded as he put the truck into gear and pulled away. Thinking about what had happened to her the day before inside the gated residential community, Ron concurred. "I can understand your sentiments."

They made small talk as they made their way down highway BB. Ron rounded a corner and slowed. There about a half mile ahead of him was a Colorado Highway Patrol checkpoint. "SHIT…"

Monique started to shake, "Turn around, maybe they didn't see us."

Shaking his head, Ron groaned. "Too late, we'll just play it cool and they'll let us past."

Panicked at the thought of being groped, Monique struggled to keep control. "Easy for you to say, you're not a girl."

Ron took a deep breath to steady his nerves. "You know I won't let that happen to you, not again."

Remembering how Ron had challenged the officer the day before, she knew he meant what he said. Monique replied meekly. "Okay…"

Looking over the checkpoint as he drove up to it, he made some quick mental notes for later. _"Highway BB, about a mile away from Country Club, 2 cruisers, 4 officers."_

Coming to a stop he rolled down his window. Two officers approached the truck. A younger officer approached the passenger's side of the truck and stood behind the door. He kept his hand on his pistol and kept his eye on Monique.

Ron noted this. So to be safe he turned off his engine and turned on the dome light. An older, bored looking officer approached crossed in front of the truck. When he came to a stop just behind the driver's door he spoke. "Good evening, I'll need to see your license, registration and proof of insurance."

"Sure thing officer…" Ron said as he fished out his license. Retrieving the small plastic slip case that held the registration and his insurance card he turn back towards the officer and handed the requested items to the man.

The officer examined the documents under the glow of the flashlight. "Wyoming huh, what are you doing so far away from home?"

"My parents live here, I'm attending classes at the University of Wyoming." Ron explained.

"Uh huh, home for the summer then?" The officer asked.

Ron nodded his head, "Yep…"

"So what neighborhood you in then?" The officer asked flatly.

Offended by the officer naturally assumed he was a Neighbor. He tried to keep his voice neutral. "Pheasant Ridge"

Accepting the answer the officer next shinned the flashlight on Ron's dashboard. "You know about the ordinance limiting residents of the tri-county area to 10 gallons of gas a week? So by your estimate how much fuel do you have in your truck right now?"

Looking at the gas gauge to make an educated guess, Ron responded. "I have a little less than a quarter of a tank. So I guess that's about maybe 4 gallons."

The office nodded, "You could haul a lot of things in a truck like this. Are you familiar with the laws concerning the hording and trafficking of controlled items?"

Ron nodded his head, "Yes, yes, I am…"

Monique was squirming. This was taking far longer than she had anticipated. Ron was thinking the same thing as he tried to cast a reassuring glance. Ron had been through numerous check points and all had gone smoothly. This however was not going as planned.

"Does your passenger have identification?" The officer asked.

A forced smile crossed Ron's face as he turned to Monique, "Do you…have identification?"

Reaching into her pocket Monique pulled out a small plastic flip case and handed it to Ron. He in turn then passed it on to the officer. "Here it is."

"Where does she live?"

Clearing his throat, Ron answered. "Pheasant Ridge"

The officer took the license and looked it over. "Monique Wilson…" Glancing back towards Ron, he said. "Wait here a moment."

Ron let out a deep breath and ran all the things that could possibly go wrong through his head. He didn't have any controlled items on board. He returned the fake battery to the battery box. The real battery was still in the bed. He and a friend in Wyoming moved it there to make room for Ron to smuggle the controlled items across the border when he returned home.

No they weren't doing anything wrong so Ron took in and let out a deep breath to calm his nerves. The officer soon returned and handed Ron back his paper work and Monique's paper work. Then he stepped back from the door. "Mr. Stoppable, could you and Ms. Wilson step out of the vehicle please."

The hackles on the back of Ron's neck stood up. He glanced over to Monique who was visibly very frightened. He nodded his head, hoping to reassure her. "I guess we have to get out."

They both exited the vehicles. Monique moved to stand next to Ron as quickly as she could. The officer on Ron's side ordered Ron to pop his hood. Doing as he was told, Ron popped the hood and stepped back to stand next to Monique.

The officers examined the truck from front to back. The younger officer knelt down and shown his flashlight underneath the truck, the older one examined the engine compartment and the back seat of the extended cab truck. The older officer stopped as his light flashed across something of interest in the backseat. Ron swallowed hard, _"Here it comes…"_

"You have a lot of bungee cords back here." The officer said.

Ron nodded his head, "Yeah, had to tie down some stuff when I came home for the summer."

This answer seemed to placate the officer as he moved on to looking in the bed of the truck. Shinning the light around the bed of the truck, he spotted something that caught his attention. He turned the light on Ron, "Two batteries? You towing a trailer?"

Grinning because he had gone over the stories so often in his head just on the off chance of something like this happening. "Nawwwwww, In Wyoming I'm running a bed full of subwoofers, powered by 10 Rockwood Fosgate 800 watt amps. Drains a battery quick."

"Phewwwwwwwwww, I bet it does." The officer said as he switched off the light.

Walking around to where Ron and Monique stood the officer said, "So what brings you two out this way so late?"

Looking at Monique sheepishly, Ron said. "Well we kind of have to meet up in out of the way places. Our parents…kind of frown on us being together."

Another car appeared in the distance. The older officer looked towards the oncoming car. "Alright then, load up and get back to Pheasant Ridge."

Monique and Ron wasted no time in scampering back inside the truck. Ron quickly started the engine and pulled away. "Man, am I'm glad this wasn't Tuesday night."

"Oh yea, I'm ready to go home. I want to go home, right now." Monique said trying to fight back tears.

Ron nodded his head as he silently thanked his lucky stars that this wasn't the night when he had a truck loaded with contraband. It was time to get home as quickly as possible and update his maps of the county. Ron had a map book he kept under the carpeting of his seat that he updated with all the check points, now he had one more entry to add. Glancing towards Monique he grinned as he saw that she had nodded off.

He let her sleep as he made his way through side roads that he knew were free of check points. Rolling into Pheasant Ridge, he knew it was well after 10:00 PM as he could hear the low hum of the gas powered generator supplying the mobile home with electricity. He turned to wake his passenger. "We're home…"

Monique batted her eyes, and quickly wiped her mouth as she had drooled all over herself. She giggled, "I was pretty tired."

Ron fought back a smile, "Yes you were."

Arching her back, she stretched and yawned. "I don't care if I ever leave the house again. These people around here are crazy. I don't see how you put up with it."

Letting out a deep breath, Ron agreed. "There are days…"

Sitting in silence for a few minutes they looked at one another. Ron leaned towards her and kissed her softly on the lips. Pulling away, he whispered. "Sorry about the side trip."

Monique nodded, "You ever decide to go adventuring again, leave me at home."

Agreeing Ron stepped out of the truck and waited for Monique to join him. Her manner changed now that they were home. She was at ease, back in familiar surroundings. Ron's mother met them at the door. "Where have you two been?"

Ron shrugged, "Out and about."

Connie Stoppable sighed, "Monique, did you have a nice day out?"

Grinning happily, Monique said. "Oh yeah…"

Rubbing his eyes and letting out a loud yawn, Ron said. "I'm going to get me a bottle of water, and watch the Dish for a while and head to bed."

Never having a boyfriend to cater to before Monique's eyes lit up as she realized this was her big chance. "I'll get you some water Ronnie, I know right where it is and everything."

Racing past a stunned Mrs. Stoppable, Monique charged up the stairs and into the mobile home. Mrs. Stoppable looked at Ron, "What did you do?"

Slightly embarrassed, Ron said to him mother, "Well…"

Sprinting past a stunned Mr. Stoppable, Monique raced into the kitchen. "I'll get the water, I'll get it."

Walter Stoppable found his voice as she emerged from the kitchen with the plastic bottle of water. "Is everything all right, Monique?"

Grinning like an idiot as she ran past him she said happily, "Just getting some water for my boyfriend."

Monique stopped abruptly as the front door to the mobile home. Ron and his mother entered the home. Thrusting the bottle at Ron, she happily told him. "I got it from the fridge and its cold just you like you like it."

Looking at his parents, Ron was more than a little embarrassed as he took the bottle of water. "Thanks Monique…I'm sure the water…will be very…watery."

"Go sit on the couch, go sit on the couch. We can watch TV together." Monique squealed happily as she pushed Ron towards the couch.

Ron sat down heavily on the couch. He reached for the TV remote only to have Monique snatch it away from him. "I can turn it on, I can turn it on. What do you want to watch Ronnie?"

Stunned at the change of behavior in his new girlfriend, Ron tried to say something but couldn't make his voice work. Finally he managed to croak out, "Sp…sports…"

Monique either didn't hear him or didn't want to hear him. She grinned maniacally and pushed the buttons on the remote control. "Romance Channel, I like the Romance Channel."

"…_feminine douche for those days when you need to feel fresh."_

Ron's mouth fell open in horror. Kim had always channel surfed when these kinds of commercials came on. She knew how much it disturbed his manly sensitivities. Not to mention how incredibly embarrassing it was for a guy to be with a girl when these types of commercials came on.

Monique snuggled up close to her new boyfriend. Then she realized she was thirsty too. She sat up quickly, "I'm thirsty too, can I get a water Ronnie? Can I, can I?"

Feeling momentarily magnanimous, Ron waived a permissive hand. "Knock yourself out."

Monique jumped off the couch and ran for the kitchen. "I'm going to get me a bottle of water, don't go anywhere Ronnie."

Ron sat on the couch in stunned silence. _'Where exactly am I going to go?"_

"Ronald…"

Cringing, Ron had completely forgotten about his parents. Who now stood on the other side of the room glaring at him, or at least his mother was. Her face was red and her eyes were bulging as she made gestures that suggested she wanted to strangle her only son.

He held up his hands and shook his head in disbelief. Ron's shoulders slumped as his mother made motions as if she wanted to punch him repeatedly. Ron mouthed silently to her, _"I didn't know she was going to be like this…"_

Monique returned at run from the kitchen. She snatched the bottle of water from Ron's hand and shoved the fresh bottle into it. "Mine's colder..."

"Well we'll just leave you two kids alone. It's bedtime Connie." Walter Stoppable said uneasily as he dragged his wife from the room.

Monique snuggled up closer to her boyfriend, completely oblivious to the elder Stoppables. Ron's desperate eyes turned to watch his father drag a very angry Connie Stoppable from the room. Ron mouthed to his mother, _"HELP ME!"_

His mother continued to struggle against her husbands pull. Finally Walter had to whisper to his wife, "Connie, they're grownups now. Let's go to bed."

Ron watched his mother deflate till she finally turned and walked down the hall. Turning his attention back to his crazy girlfriend, he could tell that she was heavily engrossed in the movie on TV. Lifting an eyebrow, he decided that this wasn't all bad. Now that she had settled down.

Monique's head suddenly popped up, "I know this movie. A guy and girl fall in love. Get married and then she's diagnosed with a fatal disease and dies. He's crushed and I end up bawling my eyes out. Let's watch something else."

"Wrestling…" Ron suggested in earnest hope.

"The Oxygen Channel, they always have good stuff on." Monique said hopefully as she punched the buttons on the remote. Her eyes lit up as she recognized the movie that was on. "It's a Valerie Bertinelli, woman in trouble movie."

Ron frowned, "Great…"

Monique stroked Ron's chest idly. "You'll like this one. She plays a dirty, worthless drug addict who loses her child to the state. So she cleans up her act and goes to get her baby back."

"…_please…don't…take…my…baby..."_

Still staring at the flat screen TV in horror, Ron mumbled once again. "Great…"

Smiling happily as she displayed her knowledge of movies that were on channels devoted totally to women. She continued to show just how much she really knew about pop culture. "You remember Valerie Bertinelli? She was married to that rock star guy…Keith Richards, I think. Anyway he gets cancer of the tongue. So she gets all grossed out and divorces him."

"Great…that's just…great…"

**II**

Annie and Cheyenne had tears running down their faces from laughing so hard. Monique smiled sheepishly as she finished her story. Annie finally was able to gain some measure of composure. "Oh...oh...oh...my God you were so pathetic."

Monique grinned happily, "I told you..."

Catching her breath, Cheyenne had a burning question to ask. "So that's why Dad does that trick with the empty cup from time to time."

"Oh, when your father wants to get my blood boiling he'll hold out that empty cup and rattle those ice cubes a bit." Monique grinned and shook her head at the thought.

Annie still trying not to laugh made a face and attempted to imitate Monique, "I'm not a dog Ron."

The girls broke down laughing. Eaton smiled and shook his head. The story was interesting. He learned about Starvation Balls, and a little insight into the road blocks that were setup to keep people in their assigned living spaces. He also got a pretty good glimpse at just how Ron was trafficking on the black market. These were all questions he was going to ask about when he saw him next.

Eaton would not have to wait too long. The backdoor to the house opened and Coach Ron Stoppable appeared followed by another gentleman in a very hi-tech looking wheel chair. Looking towards Monique to see if she recognized the man, he saw that she obviously did.

Monique's eyes lit up as she squealed, "FELIX"

Standing up quickly she ran around the patio table and hugged their old friend. She grinned happily, "I haven't seen you in at least 3 years."

A casually dressed white haired man, sporting a white goatee smiled up at her from his wheelchair. "Too long to be away from a pretty lady like you." He said happily.

Monique giggled, "You always did have a way with words."

Felix looked next to Annie Possible, "Hey girlie..."

Annie hugged the man. "Hey boss..."

Shaking a finger at the woman he reminded her, "I'm not your boss anymore. I sold that company long ago."

Grinning Annie said fondly, "You'll always be boss to me."

Now that the 2 men drew nearer, Eaton realized the man wasn't in a wheelchair but a hover chair that seemed to float noiselessly above the ground. Eaton stood up and Ron waived to him. "Felix Renton, this is Eaton Trendle. The guy I was telling you about."

Felix floated over to the table next the author and shook his hand. He looked him over from top to bottom. "So your Tara's boy?"

Eaton nodded, "Yes sir I am..."

Ron pointed to Cheyenne, "You know Felix don't you?"

The older girl nodded, "Haven't seen you in around 10 years or so."

Felix still examining Eaton, nodded his head. "Yep, about that sounds about right. Good seeing you again, little lady."

Ron spotted Theodore T. Bear sitting up straight at the end of the patio table. He smiled, "I'll be damned, it is that bear."

Examine the stuffed bear closely, Ron spotted the patch of blood on the back and frowned. Picking up the bear he handed it over towards Felix. "Remember Theodore?"

A look of sadness came over his face as he took the bear from Ron and examined the stuffed toy. "Yeah, yeah, I remember this nasty old bear. He always wanted to watch Cable TV if memory serves me."

Felix turned to look at Eaton. He gestured towards him with the bear, "I can see a lot of your mother in you. She'd be very proud. It really shook me when Ron told me she'd been dead for so many years."

Eaton nodded his head, "So you knew my mother too?"

"Yeah, yeah, I knew her. Sweetest little girl on the planet." Felix said sadly.

Ron pulled up a patio chair and sat down next to Annie. "Now, what I want to know is why I have a passed out daughter sprawled out on the couch?"

Cheyenne rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Sorry Daddy, we gave her the job of making sure that mom didn't drink so much. And..."

"I put her under the table." Monique said proudly as she slapped the patio table.

Putting his hands over his eyes, Ron cried out in horror. "Oh no, you didn't get her drunk on Wild Turkey did you?"

Monique grinned, "That's what I was drinking."

Ron put his hands back over his face, "Man, that girls going to be sick for a week."

Annie looked at her father and smiled, "Get you a beer Daddy?"

Leaning back in the chair, he nodded, "Please..."

Standing up Annie looked around the table. "Anyone else?"

Eaton, Felix and Monique nodded their heads in acceptance. Annie grinned and threw up her hands and ran towards the house. "I'll get you a beer Ronnie, I'll get you a beer."

Ron turned in astonishment as he watched his daughter run into the house. He shook his head and smiled, "You told them about our first day together?"

Monique grinned happily. "Only the good parts."

Cheyenne grinned, "I think Annie is going to need some help." She stood and ran towards the house shouting, "I'll get you a beer Ronnie, I'll get you a beer, and it'll be cold too..."

Throwing up his hands in mock outrage, Ron looked at Felix. "My daughters think they're a couple of real comedians. I have no idea where they get it from."

Felix chuckled and pointed towards Theodore. "I think Theodore knows where they get it from."

Eyeing the bear, who appeared to be sticking his tongue out at him. Ron pointed his index finger and warned the bear. "I don't care how many years it's been bear. I don't want any lip or tongue for that matter from you."

Ron turned his attention back to Felix before looking at the bear in mock outrage. "Well you've looked better too. I mean you don't have your rain cap and you're missing a boot. What kind of stuffed bear goes around town half dressed?"

Felix roared with laughter, "That's it Ron, I wouldn't take any shit from this bear in my house either."

Monique frowned, "Now leave Theodore alone. After all he's a guest in this house."

"We got your beer Ronnie. We got your beer..." The girls shouted in unison as the returned to the table.

Ron took a beer from Annie, "Thanks baby..." Then he took another beer from Cheyenne. "Thanks again baby."

Looking at the two beers in his hands Ron shrugged, "I guess they think I have some catching up to do."


	13. Chapter 13

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**A/N: Sorry about the delay on this chapter, I've been writing two stories at once. I'm just about finished with a yet untitled Kim Possible Global Justice story that ties into this AU. Kim is sent to New York to track down a serial killer known as "The Sausage King". The only fly in the ointment is that he's already in prison. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, having Felix and Theodore over can be quite a lot of fun. Remember write a review, receive a reply.**

**Bubba  
**

* * *

Watching his old friend take a long swig of his beer, Felix Renton couldn't help but be amazed at how the years had flown by since the first time he met his old friend back in Middleton. He remembered their first chance meeting at the electronics store the day Zombie Mayhem II was released. He liked how brash the boy was, when he bragged about what a great player he was.

They went to the same school so they hooked up for a few games. At the time he thought he played pretty horribly but later realized that he was merely an average player. In basketball Ron had the advantage of legs but Felix could still take him. He tried hard to beat him and that meant a lot to him. So many people would throw games because they felt sorry for him. The fact he was in a wheelchair didn't seem to matter to Ron one bit, which meant everything to Felix.

Looking back on it now, Felix thought that in all fairness. Ron might have played better if he had more time to dedicate to any one avenue of interest he had. But he never could find that time, because he was always running around with his friend Kim Possible having adventures.

Felix thought for sure that Ron and Kim would hookup and live happily ever after. Then again happily ever after was only in books and Disney movies. Whatever happened happened and it was just not meant to be. What surprised him the most was that he should hookup with of all people, Monique.

It was the least likely pairing he could possibly think of. Goofy Ron with his obsession of Bueno Nacho and Monique ever the fashion plate, it just didn't appear on the survice that such a marriage could work. Looking towards Monique he smiled as she defended herself against Annie's jibes. Ron grinning at her as he watched her defend herself, he could see the love in his eyes for the woman. Unlikely pairing or not, the marriage had worked and worked for many years.

"No, I was never that bad..." Monique told Annie once again.

Annie looked to her father, "Was she that bad?"

Ron grinned, "Well...not after she calmed down."

"CALMED DOWN!" Monique shouted playfully.

Laughing Ron continued to point out just how over the top she had been when they first started dating. "Monique gets this bright idea to do my laundry one day..."

Monique covered her face, "Nooooooooo, don't tell that one."

"She finishes drying my boxers and gets the bright idea that they need to be numbered." Ron grinned at the memory.

Cheyenne giggled, "Oh no she didn't..."

Ron nodded his head, "Yep, I was the only guy on the football team that had big black numbers on the back of all his underwear."

The group at the table broke into laughter. Ron took a swig of his beer and continued with his story. "Yeah, some guys had the names written on the tags, some guys their initials, but me...I have numbers 1-15 written on mine."

Monique was still laughing and nodding her head, "I thought that you could wear one for each day of the week."

"My roommate, my roommate Tee Foster looks at me one day and says, 'What happens if you get to number 15?' I looked at him and said. What else, I do laundry." Ron grinned happily at his wife.

Felix smiled at Ron, "In all the years we were separated, I never would have pegged you as a beer drinker."

Ron finished taking another swig of beer and put the bottle down. "There's a story for that..."

Cheyenne grinned, "Somehow I thought there would be."

Grinning at his daughter he nodded, "You see I attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie Wyoming and Laramie was a drinking town, with a football problem."

Monique smiled, "I found out about that when Ronnie was coaching there."

"Everyone in Laramie, and I mean everyone drank." Ron explained further.

Smiling at Monique, he asked. "Ready to sing the University of Wyoming beer drinking song?"

"Ohhhhhhhh nooooooo..." Monique laughed.

Ron started off the song. _"__In heaven there is no beer..."_

Monique's eyes lit up as she added the chorus, _"NO BEER!"_

"_That's why we drink it here "_Ron sang as he quickly pointed back to Monique.

"_RIGHT HERE!"_ Monique added.

_"And when we're gone from here..."_

They finished the little song together. _"Our friends will be drinkin' all the beer."_

The table broke into applause after they had finished their song. Ron smiled, "You won't find that in any of the college recruiting literature."

Monique grinned and looked at Theodore. "Look Theodore liked the song too."

Ron laughed at the inscrutable expression on Theodore's face, "If it involves smoking cigars and drinking, the bear's all for it."

Felix took a swig of his beer and looked at Theodore, "Nasty old bear."

"So that is the story in a nutshell. My first night of freedom we had from the practice schedule. We high tailed it over to Cowboy's, our favorite establishment for underage drinking and tilted a few. At first I didn't like the taste but after a few beers, I found it to be...most agreeable." Ron explained happily.

Annie shook her head, "I bet Mom would have had a fit if she'd known."

Ron grinned, "Who do you think my favorite drinking buddy was?"

Gasping at her father's revelation, Annie laughed, "NO WAY..."

"Awwwww yah, beer drinking agreed with the feisty redhead as well." Ron said happily.

Monique lifted an eyebrow, "Oh really? I never heard about this."

Eaton smiled, "I sense a story coming along."

Ron grinned, "Give that man a cigar."

Sitting up in his chair suddenly, Ron quickly reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a fistful of cigars. "I almost forgot. Since we're all of age here, I figured we'd all share a cigar with out guest of honor."

Felix grinned as he took his cigar, "Stop it Ron, you're embarrassing me."

Frowning Ron set his old friend straight, "Not you Wheelie, Theodore T. Bear."

The table burst into laughter at the exchange. Felix shook his head, "Ron, you asshole..."

Ron grinned as he lit his cigar, "Now, now, I'm not the conceited one that thinks it's all about him."

Annie had enough. She wanted to hear the story. "Enough of that, tell me about Mom drinking beer."

Leaning back in his chair, Ron exhaled a large cloud of happy blue smoke. "Well as I remember it. It was a Tuesday..."

* * *

The feeling of exuberance filled the darkened country western bar. Ron had somehow survived his first two weeks of practice the University of Wyoming Cowboys. Even being a red shirt freshmen and not being allowed to engage in contact during practice it was still hard on him.

He was the smallest member of the team, standing just 5'9 and weighing in at a robust 132 pounds. Ron was practicing against men who at least 6 inches taller and nearly double, if not triple his weight. So far the only practice time Ron was allowed was to work on special teams returning punts and kickoffs and with the defense working as a safety. Neither were positions he really wanted to play. He still longed to be a running back like he was in high school, but his small size made that impossible for the time being.

Still he was having the time of his life. College was a whole new world to him. Classes had yet to start and the team's first game against Virginia was 2 weeks away. It was an away game so Ron being red shirted wouldn't be able to travel with the team for the first game. This disappointed him, but he understood the reasoning. It was too expensive to fly players to the east if they weren't eligible to play.

Riding out to this country western bar called Cowboy's with his new friends, Rodney Pense and Tee Foster he was about to be initiated into the University of Wyoming tradition of beer drinking and partying. This to Ron's way of looking at things, sounded like a fine idea.

Looking around the bar, Ron thought it didn't appear to be much. Wooden floors, a few tables, a juke box, and 4 pool tables, 2 television sets at each end of the long bar, and one large screen TV in front of the tables, and of course a mechanical bull for those that wished to try their luck.

The place was decorated in early redneck. Cowboy paraphernalia was hanging on the walls along with advertisements from various breweries. Ron glanced up a wall and smiled as there were many pictures of football players from college, along with a large mural painted on a back wall of a cowboy riding a bronco. The same emblem that adorned the University of Wyoming's helmets, this was indeed in Ron's mind a true cowboy bar.

All three bellied up to the bar. Rodney and Tee had their well worn cowboy hats on. Ron was sporting a new cowboy hat that was way too big for his head. The bartender a patient looking grey haired man with a grey beard to match named Sam approached them. "Evening gents...Now I know Rodney, he's alright. I know Tee from last season, he's alright. Where did you pick up this scrawny next to nothin'?"

Rodney Pense was a local boy, who was slightly taller than Ron with brown hair shaved close to the skull put his hand on Ron's shoulder. "Sam, this is Ron Stoppable from Middleton Colorado. One day he is going to be the greatest football player in the history of the University of Wyoming."

Ron grinned happily at the praise.

Sam turned his attention to Tee Foster, an African American boy from McAllister, Texas. He was a few years older than Ron and was the starting middle linebacker for the Cowboys. The bartender looked at Tee, "Well Tee, is he the best?"

Tee Foster grinned. He had a nasally high pitched voice and an attitude that let it be known that he thought quite a lot of himself. "Man, Rodney's fucked up. You ought to know by now. There ain't no greater Cowboy player than Tee "Big Money" Foster."

The old bartender nodded, and then turned his attention back to Ron. "You got any ID?"

Ron lifted his head slightly so he could see out from under the oversized cowboy hat, nodded and said. "Yep..." as he handed the bartender his ID.

Sam looked it over, "Ellio Rodriguez age 32..."

He flipped the ID back to Ron and leaned over. "Now look here son. I'm going to serve you because Rodney and Tee say your good folks. Now you look over there yonder." The man said pointing towards a side door.

"You see any police come through that door. You do like this." He then held an empty beer bottle out and let it drop to the floor where it shattered.

Leaning in again, he said to Ron. "You know why I want you to do that?"

Ron shook his head, "No..."

Sam grinned, "It may be illegal to serve minors but the police can't say shit about broken glass."

Understanding what the man was saying to him, Ron nodded his head and smiled happily. "I gotcha...broken glass..."

"So what'll it be, Coors?" Sam asked as he looked directly at Tee Foster.

Tee flinched, "Please...No one wants to drink that trout piss. If you're going to make big money you drink a big money beer. I'm going to the NFL, I want a Michelob."

Ron grinned, "I want a Michelob too."

Rodney smiled, "The same...You know Ron, the only reason we're all drinking Michelob is because you're buying the first round."

The smile slid off of Ron's face as he thought his friends had just put one over on him. "Awwwwwwww man..."

Tee slapped Ron on the bank, "Don't sweat it little white boy. Tee got plenty of grip, I got the next round."

"Shit, you never seem to have money when you're drinking with me." Rodney exclaimed.

Tee grinned, "Man, you a townie. You livin' at home, you got money."

Looking more than a bit offended, Rodney felt he couldn't let that remark slip by without a challenge. "Fuck you Tee, if I'm not out sinkin' wells and putting in septic tanks with my Dad and my Uncle, guess what? I don't go to school. I'm not on a full ride ticket like you guys."

Realizing he hit a nerve, Tee backed off. "Chill Dog, I'm just fuckin' with yah. You know me? I always got to run my mouth. I'm on defense. I got to run my mouth."

The beers arrived and Ron pulled out his wallet and paid for the drinks. He watched the other guys twist the cap off the bottle so he did the same. He was excited. He had never drunk beer before so this was the opening of a whole new world to him. He took his first sip of beer and made a face. The beer tasted awful.

Ron looked around at his friends. They were smiling and drinking their beer. Pushing up the oversized cowboy hat, Ron examined the bottle. It looked new. Taking another drink of the beer, he realized the taste was going to get no better. So he smiled and acted like he was enjoying it like his friends were doing.

"What do yah think Ron?" Rodney asked, clearly amused at the faces Ron was making as he drank his beer.

Looking nervous Ron looked at his two teammates. "I...uh...it tastes...kind of gross."

Tee was offended at Ron's lack of appreciation of a truly fine beer. "Man, shut the fuck up. You're talking about Michelob now, ain't no better, big money beer in the world than Mich. Don't be dissin' the Mich."

Rodney looked towards the TV on the wall and smiled. He turned back to Ron, "Just keep drinking it Ron, it'll get better."

Tipping the bottle up, he did just that. This time the taste didn't seem so bad. Swallowing it he looked at his friends and realized they were watching him. "What..."

"So what's it like rooming with Crazy Bob?" Rodney asked.

Rolling his eyes at the thought of his homophobic roommate Robert Streszinski and groaned. "The guy is driving me crazy. He keeps asking me if I'm a fag or if I want to go fag bashing with him. He's got some serious issues. I don't see why I have to room with him? I mean he's on the offensive line, we're not even on the same unit."

Rodney laughed, "That'll teach you to be the last guy reporting for camp."

Tee shook his head, "Man, Ron's right. I took one look at that mother fucker, and I said, Tee that fucker's fucked up."

"Where the hell did that guy come from anyway?" Rodney asked.

Groaning again, Ron said. "Madison, Wisconsin...The only time he ever quits talking about fags is when he's telling me how great Madison is and how much Colorado sucks."

Sam came over to check on them. He pointed to Ron, "Didn't you guys say that he was from Middleton, Colorado?"

Ron nodded, "Yeah..."

"Prove it?" Sam said sternly.

"What..." Ron said not quite understanding why he had to prove anything.

Leaning in close to Ron, Sam said sternly. "I get all kinds of folks in here claiming they're from Middleton. Talking about everything from aliens to comets, there's only one way I know of to tell if they're telling me the truth or if they're full of shit. Pull up your shirt."

"What..." Ron said indignantly.

"Look boy, I don't like liars in my bar, pull up your shirt." Sam barked.

Rodney and Tee started to protest. Ron just stood up from his stool and pulled up his shirt. Sam saw how skinny Ron was and nodded, "You can put your shirt down boy. I believe yah. It looks like you've missed a few meals in your time. The ones that are full of shit, you can't see their ribs."

Ron frowned and sat back down, "I've missed a few meals..."

Sam leaned in again, "Don't worry boy, we'll get you fattened up. I assume you're too scrawny to play now, right."

Nodding his head, Ron confirmed the man's suspicions. "They want me to weigh 175 before spring football."

Grinning Sam told him, 'You keep hanging out with these two clowns, you won't have nothing to worry about."

Tee flinched, "Please...This clown's ready for another round. You ready for one Ron?"

Ron tilted the bottle back and drained the last of the beer, "Yeah..."

Rodney grinned, "I think he's learning to like beer."

"A Boo and a yah..." Ron said happily as he opened a new bottle.

Looking at Ron, Tee said, "Food really that hard to come by down there?"

Ron shrugged, "I was lucky, I worked at Smarty Mart. It wasn't destroyed. The first week after the Lowardians attacked, we got a shipment of dog food in. We ate dog food for a while."

"Aliens...holy shit, I knew it." Rodney exclaimed.

Tee nodded his head, "What about the people that didn't work at Smarty Mart and weren't able to get dog food?"

"Before the Red Cross was able to get rations around, they'd eat dirt biscuits." Ron said as he stared at his bottle of beer.

"What's a dirt biscuit?" Rodney asked.

Ron shrugged, "Well its wad of mud with vegetable oil pored over it, and then you bake it, dirt biscuit."

Tee had a look of pure disgust on his face. "You ever eat one?"

"No, no I was lucky. I never had to eat a dirt biscuit or have bark soup." Ron said sadly.

"Tree bark?" Asked Rodney.

"Yep, tree bark."

"Man, things sound like they were pretty fucked up back there." Rodney said.

Ron nodded, "Still are..."

Glancing over towards the pool tables, Tee spotted one open. "Hey there's a table over there. Let's go shoot some pool."

Moving quickly to seize the table, Ron was grateful for the opportunity to quit being the center of attention. Ron pulled up a chair and watched Rodney and Tee rack the balls for a new game. He took another drink of beer and lifted an eyebrow. Rodney was right, it was beginning to taste better. He felt light headed and his face was going numb. Grinning, he realized that he was getting drunk.

A few more rounds were bought and a few more games of pool were played. Ron tried his hand with a pool stick a few times but quickly proved to be terrible. It didn't help that he was having trouble standing up straight or making sense of his words when he spoke.

Finally Rodney made him sit down at a table a few feet from the pool table. "You alright Ron?"

Ron weaved forward and grinned, "I'm always alright."

Rodney laughed and patted him on the shoulder, "Right, you just sit here, OK."

Nodding his head, Ron agreed. Everyone in the bar appeared to be weirdly distorted. People appeared to be moving slowly, half the normal speed than they normally would have if he had been sober. This was definitely a sensation he liked.

He touched his face. It felt numb to the touch. Ron giggled, "My face is sooooooo numb." He said to no one in particular.

"RONALD STOPPLE"

Ron pulled his finger away from his face and looked up to see who had called out his name. It was a girl, a redheaded girl in a black top and matching black miniskirt, a redheaded girl with angry green eyes. He knew a girl like that from somewhere. Then he realized who it was. He also realized he was very happy to see her. "Hi yah Kim!"

Kim Possible leaned down to look Ron in the eyes. His face was beat red and she knew he was drunk. "You've been drinking. Ron, do you know how dangerous and stupid underage drinking is? Do you know how much trouble you can get into?"

Not getting the response from Ron she was looking for she leaned in closer. "Ron, you could go to jail."

Tilting the bottle up, Ron took another swig of the beer. "Yep...buy yah a beer Kim?"

Standing up straight, she put her hands on her hips. Kim's eyes bulged out, as she puffed up her cheeks ready to explode in anger at her boyfriend. Then she froze, looked around the bar, everyone seemed to be having a good time. After all that's why she came to Laramie was to have a good time with her boyfriend, inebriated or not. She bit her lower lip as she reached her decision. Kim nodded her head and said rather enthusiastically, "OK"

Ron flagged down a passing waitress, "Beer Babe, 2 Michelob's."

The haggard blonde college girl groaned and rolled her eyes, "Coming up"

Kim lifted an eyebrow, "Beer babe?"

Looking as innocent as he could, Ron explained, "I saw her slap some guy for calling her a beer bitch and she didn't come back for a long time when I called her a beer broad earlier."

The eyebrow never lowered as Kim said, "I see..."

The waitress soon returned with their beers. The club was noisy and filled with people. It was hard for Ron to hear the waitress as she leaned over and asked once again, "Take your empties?"

Fishing a 20 out of his wallet to pay for the beer, Ron nodded, "Yeah..."

The waitress picked up the 3 bottles and left the table. Kim reached out and took the bottle tentatively. She realized the bottle was still capped. "She didn't leave a bottle opener."

Now it was Ron's turn to play mister experience. He took the bottle away from Kim and twisted the cap off and handed it back to her. She smiled and looked at the bottle again. Ron twisted his cap off and took a swig. Kim watched him and then tasted the beer. Her face screwed up in a look of total disgust, "Ughhhhhhh, this stuff tastes awful."

Ron grinned, "Yeah, isn't it great?"

Kim smiled uneasily at her boyfriend and took another drink. "Are you sure it's supposed to taste like this?"

Putting his arm on Kim's shoulder, Ron grinned, "The more you drink the better it tastes."

Taking Ron's advice she proceeded to drink one beer, then another. Sure enough, Ron knew what he was talking about. The beer was starting to taste better and better. Soon Kim sat in the chair across from Ron pushing her finger against her face. "My face is sooooooooooo numb."

Ron grinned happily, "Yeah, isn't it great?"

Kim grinned and shook her finger at Ron, "You are so...drunk."

Sitting up straight, Ron took umbrage with her accusation. "I'm not drunk...I'm fucked up."

Laughing hysterically, Kim slapped the table. She leaned in closer to Ron, "You...you know what you are?"

Ron leaned in closer to where they were touching nose to nose, "What..."

Kim moved her head back and forth ever so slightly to rub Ron's nose. "You are so...fucked up."

They both started to laugh hysterically. Ron sat back in his chair, "I know...I know, that's just what I was saying...I am so fucked up."

"Yo Ron Dog, you gonna introduce us to your hottie?"

Ron turned to face his 2 friends. Struggling to his feet he made his introductions. "This is my most baddical girlfriend from back home, Kim Possible. Kim this is Rodney Pense and..." Looking at Tee, Ron drew a blank on his last name so he tried his best to introduce him. "...and Tee Frosty..."

"FOSTER, FOSTER, Tee Foster..." He said sounding slightly hurt as she shook Kim's hand.

Kim smiled and wiggled her fingers in greeting, "Hi"

Rodney shook his head, "Ron, do you realize how worthless you're going to be in the morning?"

Grinning, Ron agreed, "It's because I'm fucked up."

Laughing hysterically, Kim beat her fist on the table, "That's just what, what I was saying...you...You are so fucked up..."

"I know..." Ron said once again.

Tee shook his head, "Man, your both fucked up. Now let's play some pool."

Even drunk, Kim's natural competitiveness could not be blunted. She looked over at the pool tables and smiled, "You mean play with sticks and..." She held out her hand and acted as if she were messaging a sac full of testicles, "...little balls?"

Rodney and Tee's mouths fell open as Kim's head flopped backwards as she began to laugh hysterically. Ron laughed along with her. He pointed at her, "Girl...girl...you know what you are?"

Kim sat up straight and took Ron's hand, "What...what am I Ronnie?"

Ron grinned, "You're fucked up..."

Laughing Kim nodded her head, "Phfffffffffttttttttttt, I know, I know...I...I was just saying...I am so fucked up..."

Ron's teammates shook their heads as they started to walk off. Kim jerked her head quickly and said, "Hey...we'll play you...We are so...going to kick your little tushies."

The drunken couple began to laugh hysterically once again. Kim looked at Ron and shook her head, "I said tushies, and I have...no idea why I said tushies instead of asses..."

Grinning at the drunken redhead, Ron said. "It's probably because you're fucked up."

"I know, I know...I was just saying that…"

"Look, we playing pool or what?" Tee said impatiently.

Kim sprang from her seat unsteadily, "I'm ready to...pool play..."

Ron struggled to his feet, "I...I got your back..."

Rodney opened the game as he sent the white cue ball crashing into the multicolored balls at the other end of the table. He sank a solid orange ball and pointed at Ron, "We're solids, and you guys are stripes."

Nodding her head, Kim said. "Got it."

Kim snatched the oversized cowboy hat off of Ron's head and placed it on hers. Adjusting the hat to where she could see, she took up a pool stick. Looking at Rodney and Tee, she said. "I'm taking this stick to hit the little white ball into the little balls with the stripes on it, trying to knock them into the pockets...right?"

Tee nodded, "You got it."

Scrutinizing the table, Kim walked around it looking for a good angle to make a shot. Leaning over the table she eyed the little white ball and tried to line up her pool stick in order to strike it.

While Kim was bent over examining her shot, Ron walked up behind her and pantomimed having sex with her. Rodney and Tee had to look away to keep from laughing as Ron mouthed the words, "I'm tagging this ass, awwwwww yeahhhhhhhh."

"Ron honey..."

Jumping nearly 6 foot in the air from the sudden surprise of Kim's voice, he quickly found his voice and answered. "Huhhhhhh..."

Looking behind her Kim said, "Could you move back just a bit. I don't want to hit you with the stick."

"Oh yah..." Ron said as he stepped back a few feet.

Kim made her shot and sank one of the stripped balls in the corner pocket. Looking at Rodney she said happily, "Your turn..."

Rodney shook his head, "Nope, shoot till you miss. Then it's Tee's turn."

"Oh...okay..." Kim said as she wobbled towards her next shot.

Ron looked at Rodney and Tee grinning, he pointed towards Kim and mouthed the words, "My woman..." a half dozen times as Kim proceeded to knock shot after shot off until the table was clear of the stripped balls.

Looking suddenly sad, Kim turned towards the guys. "No more stripped balls. What do I do now?"

Rodney shook his head in disbelief, "Just sink the eight ball to win the game."

"I don't believe this shit." Tee said in amazement.

Grinning Ron filled them in on Kim's little secret. "Awwwwww yah, the badical girlfriend can do anything."

Making the shot to sink the eight ball, Kim turned to Ron, "I want another beer."

Ron grinned happily, "And so you shall have another. I think, I think, I will join you as well."

Now armed with fresh beers, Ron returned to his seat by the pool tables. Kim however was done with her chair. She straddled Ron and sat down on his lap facing him. Ron's cowboy had fallen down over her eyes. Kim giggled as she pushed the hat up so she could see her blurry boyfriend. She leaned in and kissed him passionately on the lips.

Ron offered up no resistance. He could hear cheering in the bar but had no idea what was going on. Kim broke off the kiss and gazed down at him smiling. Ron glanced around and realized they had become the center of attention in the bar. Next he became aware of Kim grinding her pelvic bone into his. He grinned drunkenly and looked up at her.

Kim's eyes had glazed over as she whispered urgently into his ear. "I've just been crazy missing you these last 2 weeks. Take me back to my car and fuck me Ron. Fuck me good and hard...I need it so bad."

In between kisses, Ron had to agree. He had truly missed Kim. Now he had someone from high school that he knew. Now he didn't feel as lonely. "I've…really…missed…you…too."

Kim pulled him close and whispered in his ear, "I'm not wearing any panties."

Her revelation sliced through Ron's alcohol induced haze. His glassy eyes lit up, "Awwwwww yah, let's get out of here and get down to it."

Sliding off of Ron's lap, she took his hands and pulled him to his feet. Ron waved to his friends as Kim pulled him towards the door. "Got to go, lady needs me."

Waving daintily a very glassy eyed Kim waved farewell. "It was nice meeting you guys."

Rodney frowned, and tried to remind Ron over the din of the applause that broke out in the bar as the drunk teenagers made their way to the door."Remember Ron bed check at 10:30…Ron…"

Ron nodded his head not really paying attention to what Rodney had told him. As he and Kim left the bar.

Tee Foster grinned, "He ain't gonna make it is he?"

Looking at the way Ron was stumbling out the door, Rodney shook his head. "If he does he's going to be useless in practice tomorrow."

"Five bucks says he doesn't make it back for bed check?" Tee said with a grin.

"You're on!"

* * *

The Sloth was parked in a dark corner of the gravel parking lot. Staggering arm in arm, they sang along with the song they could hear coming from inside the bar. "_'…Cause I've got friends in low places. Where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases my blues away, and I'll be okay…"_

The two giggled as they reached her car. Kim was well primed with beer and hormones as she shoved Ron into the passenger seat. Giggling she yanked his pants and boxers down to his ankles. Jumping on top of him she quickly closed the door to the car and pulled the lever next to the seat to make it recline. The seat fell back and Kim was on top of Ron kissing him passionately.

"Grab my ass. Grab it like you own it." Kim said lustfully.

Ron dutifully did as he was told. He ran his hands up Kim's skirt and discovered that his girlfriend truly was not wearing any panties. They both moaned as Ron gripped hold with both hands and squeezed hard.

Pulling back from the kiss, Kim hissed, "You don't know what that's doing to me…"

"Its doing wonders for me too…" Ron had to agree.

She knew he was telling the truth. She could feel his erection pressing into her stomach. Kim maneuvered herself to allow Ron to enter her. Ron looked up momentarily panicked. "I...I don't have a condom."

Kim shook her head as she felt him sliding into her, "I don't care…Just tell me when."

The two embraced passionately, they were in a world all their own. Ron was only vaguely aware of a knock on the fogged over windows and a voice calling out to him. _"Ron, bed check at 10:30…Finish her off, I don't want to lose this bet." _

Breaking off from her kiss but not missing a stroke, Kim moaned, "What's he talking about?"

Shaking his head vigorously from side to side, Ron said. "Who cares?"

Kim couldn't agree more as she kissed Ron with a renewed vigor. Ron opened his eyes to look at his girlfriend. His cowboy hat had now fallen off her head. Her green eyes had rolled into the back in her head, she was coming and Ron wasn't far behind, "NOW…"

Not wasting a moment Kim dismounted and did her best to take Ron's exploding member into her mouth. Not being very experienced in oral sex. Kim began to gag. She pulled away from Ron's penis, hacked and coughed. Looking very dejected she turned her attention to a very satisfied looking boyfriend. "Bonnie says she did it to Brick…I bet she was lying."

Ron still breathing hard looked up towards his girlfriend. Kim's shoulders were slumped and in the available light from the parking lot it appeared to him that she was crying. Alarmed at the latest development, he did his best to make her feel better. "Don't let it get you down. I'm more than willing to let you try it again."

Kim chuckled softly, "No….no it's not that..."

"What?" Ron asked as he propped himself up on his elbows.

Sighing, Kim said sadly. "I…I don't want to go to Cambridge. I want to go to college with you."

This revelation just made Ron's entire life. He couldn't have been happier to go to school with his childhood friend and lover. Sitting up he took her in his arms. "I don't want you to go to Cambridge either. Stay here and go to school with me. It might be too late to enroll for this semester…"

Kim pulled away, "No, no, I have to go…it's really important that I go…"

"Why?"

Before Kim could answer Ron spied the clock on the radio. It read 10:15. "OH NO, no, no, no…I have to get back to the dorm. I can't miss bed check. I'll get in serious trouble…"

Wiping her face quickly on Ron's shirt, Kim quickly slid behind the wheel. "Where do you need to go?"

Ron wincing as he looked at the mess on his shirt, glanced up, "McIntyre Hall…"

"Remember I don't go to school here." She told him as she started the car.

Raising the seat back to its upright position, Ron gave her some quick instructions. Then he glanced at the clock again, "Oh no, we'll never make it."

"Ron, this car can fly remember? We'll make it." Kim said as she hit the gas.

Once in the air, Ron pulled up his pants and tried to look presentable. It didn't take long for him to spot the campus. Ron had his first bird's eye view of the campus. He pointed to a large building off to their right. "That's it…"

"How can you tell, they all look the same?" Kim said as she glided the car lower.

The dorms of Orr, White, McIntyre and Downey were all connected to one another by the Washakie Center. Ron had been on campus long enough to learn his way around and he pointed out the various dorms and named them off for Kim. "So that means McIntyre is just over there."

"Do you want me to drop you?'

Ron glanced at the clock, it was 10:24. "Can this car hover?"

"I…I think so…I've never tried it before."

Even thought she wasn't sure, Ron felt it was worth the risk. "Other side of the building, fifth floor."

Fiddling with various knobs and switches Kim brought the car to an unsteady hover. Still tipsy from the beer the car wobbled from side to side. She dipped the car just a bit and then over corrected. A loud grinding noise could be heard as she drifted into the side of building. Wincing she groaned, "Oh my paint job is so ruined."

Ron gave her a sad smile, "Sorry…That window over there."

She brought the car to a hover just outside his dorm room window. Ron could see his roommate Bob Streszinski. The heavy set bald headed boy stood facing the window lifting weights in the room. Sliding the moon roof open, he had Kim lower the car so he could see get his roommate's attention. Ron tapped on the window, "Bob…Open the window?"

Bob looked up and dropped his barbells. He tilted his head as he tried to figure you why Ron was seemingly levitating outside their fifth floor window. Ron's knocked on the window again. This brought Bob out of his momentary stupor. He walked slowly up to the window, "Ron…why are you outside the window?"

"OPEN THE WINDOW AND I'LL TELL YOU…" Ron yelled from the other side.

Opening the window he looked down and saw that Ron was in a floating car. Bob shook his head, "Holy shit, what's holding that car in the air?"

Ron slid in through the window, "Don't worry about it, it just is. Have they made the call yet?"

Bob shook his head as he looked down at Kim, who waved at him. "No…Is that a girl in that car."

Quickly taking off the soiled shirt and finding a clean one Ron confirmed Bob's suspicions, "Yep, my badical girlfriend from back home."

Looking down at the redheaded girl behind the wheel once again, Bob came to another amazing conclusion. "I guess this means you're not a fag then."

"BOB…" Ron said in exasperation, before the ringing of the phone caught his attention.

He quickly ran to the phone and answered it, "Hello…"

"_This is Coach Van Wormer, its bed check time. Is this Ron or Bob?"_

Wiping sweat from his face, Ron smiled. He was very happy he didn't miss the call from the special teams coach. "Ron Stoppable speaking…"

"_Great, now let me talk to Bob."_

Ron handed the phone to Bob. "It's Coach Van Wormer."

"Yah, this is Bob…I know…lights out at eleven." Bob said woodenly as he watched Ron climb back out the window. Hanging up the phone, he asked. "So where are you going?"

Halfway out the window, Ron turned. "Out to do more heterosexual practicing. See yah in the morning."

Sliding the rest of the way back out the window, Ron climbed back into the car with Kim. She looked at him, "Everything OK?"

"Awwwwwwwwww, yeah…Everything's great. Now let's see, what are we going to do for the rest of the night?" Ron said happily as he slid into his seat.

Kim grinned, "What else…back to Cowboys."

Making a hard left with the Roth SL, they felt a jolt as the car quickly bounced back to the right. Kim winced as the driver's side view mirror was sheared from the car. Ron winced as well, "You might want to watch out for the tree."

Frowning Kim looked at the large oak tree that had just clipped the mirror from her car. "Thanks a lot, Ron."

* * *

Annie laughed, "I can't believe as hardcore as Mom is she'd be hanging out with you in a Country Western bar."

Ron nodded his head knowingly, "Oh yeah, she even rode the mechanical bull…For a little while. Then it bucked her drunken butt off and I kind of stopped her from going through a wall."

Felix smiled, "So you caught her then?"

Shaking his head, Ron had to admit. "No, no I was more or less in the flight path."

Monique who had remained quiet during the story smirked, "So she followed you to Wyoming."

"Oh yeah, she was there for about a month before she had to leave for Cambridge. There term started in October." Ron said as he took the last drink of his beer. Looking at Cheyenne, he held up the empty bottle. "More please…"

Cheyenne looked at her father disapprovingly. "I won't even get a beer for David, but since you're my favorite father in the whole wide world…"

Ron grinned, "Thank you Baby."

Rising from her chair, Cheyenne smirked, "I'm 40 years old and he still calls me Baby. Anyone else need another beer?"

Felix held up his hand, "I'm up for another."

Eaton shook his head, "Not me, I haven't drank this much beer since college."

Ron looked towards the stuffed bear, "Theodore, you need one?"

Monique's mood was starting to change. Something Ron mentioned in Ron's story was sticking in her craw. The alcohol and the hour of the night were making her cranky. "So just where did Kim stay when she was up there for a month?"

Eaton looked at the stuffed bear and grinned, "I do believe the bear is having fun?"

"Let's see, underage drinking, promiscuous sex. Oh yeah, Theodore is in his element." Ron said happily as he looked upon the smug looking stuffed animal.

"I said, so where did Kim stay for the month, she was in Wyoming?" Monique asked once again.

Ron looked at her, "Oh the first night she slept in the car and then she moved in with the Pense family for the rest of the stay."

"So Mom didn't want to go to Cambridge?" Annie asked.

Ron shook his head, "Nope…"

Annie frowned, "Then why did she go?"

"Because Udub wasn't prestigious enough for her." Monique snapped.

Sensing a change in his wife's mood Ron elaborated a little more on what she had to say. "Your mother was really big on the whole permanent record thing. She believed having a little piece of paper that said Cambridge on it instead of the University of Wyoming was important."

Cheyenne returned and handed her father a beer, "Here you go Daddy."

"Thank you baby."

Eaton finished his beer, "So Kim has a law degree from Cambridge?"

Ron took a swig of the beer, before shaking his head, "Nope"

"So where did she finally get a degree?" Annie asked.

Monique grinned wickedly, "She never got one dear."

Annie laughed, "You mean Allie and I have more education than Mom?"

"One thing your mother, Monique and I agreed on. You would both get good educations." Ron said firmly as he studied Monique to see if she was getting worked up into one of her moods.

Grinning Annie was suddenly feeling very good about herself. "Mom's only got a high school diploma then. The big fraud...when did she quit school?"

"I'm not sure, maybe about a month or two after she started. She never finished the first term." Ron said sadly.

Monique still grinning nodded her head. "Yeah she met Eduardo and Ronnie was history."

Now Ron knew what kind of mood Monique was in, and where she was going to go with the conversation. It was going to be one of those Ron Stoppable is scum nights. So Ron tried to think of something pleasant to talk about to hopefully diffuse her mood. Tonight however he was not going to have any luck.

"So you and mom tore up the bar scene in Laramie, huh?" Annie asked.

Ron shifted his weight nervously in his chair, "Well…uh…no…no…I still had football practice and stuff going on. Your mother would get mad at me because I wouldn't talk to her at practice."

Eaton tilted his head, "Why not?"

Looking desperately to change the subject, Ron answered and went for a subject change. "Oh because we couldn't talk to the spectators, no cell phones, no jewelry, no talking. Same as I do now with my team. So what did you think of the game today Eaton?"

Before Eaton could answer, Felix chimed in with a few memories of his own. "You know your dad was always awkward around girls but stick this man in a bar and put a drink in his hand and he could be quite the operator."

"No…no, now that's not quite true…" Ron said nervously as he glanced towards Monique.

Felix smiled, "Ron, you're being too modest. This guy had all the women after him at the 10 year reunion.

"Nooooooooooo, no, that's just your imagination." Ron said fearfully as he glanced towards Monique.

Monique was staring daggers at Ron, "Oh yeah, I remember me and Kim having to pull you and Bonnie Senor out of a closet."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Monique, how many times do I have to tell you that it was all quite innocent. She was…"

'SHE WAS ON HER KNEES RON!" Monique reminded him.

"She was only on her knees after Kim punched her in the back of the head." Ron protested.

"It doesn't change anything. You were still going screw her in that closet." Monique sniped back.

Ron was going on the defensive, but it was too late. Monique was rapidly getting out of control. "I was not…"

Monique stood up and pointed at Cheyenne. She failed to take in that Cheyenne was now becoming angry. "OH AND I SUPPOSE YOU DIDN'T SCREW ALL THOSE OTHER WOMEN EITHER!"

"Monique…" Ron whined desperately.

Felix and Eaton looked at one another uneasily. Annie stared at the table, she had been through Monique's temper tantrums many times before and she knew how to ride them out. Eaton looked towards Felix, "So what neighborhood did you live in?"

"None, we moved out two days after the…volcano." Felix said clearly distracted.

"You left your family in Middleton and then just screwed every girl you could get a hold of. You became the biggest damn jerk I ever saw. You never cared about anyone except yourself." Monique said bitterly as she kept pointing at Cheyenne.

Ron was losing his patients. He had heard this all before. Monique punishing him over and over again for things he did 40 years before. "I never treated you badly."

"I heard all those stories about what you did up there, when you left us in Middleton..." Monique said bitterly, still pointing at Cheyenne.

Rising from his chair, Ron looked to his guests. "Well that beer really goes through me. I'll be just a few minutes, have to answer that ol' call of nature."

Monique sat back in her chair and folded her arms. "That's right run. You might be able to run..."

"Oh, why don't you just shut up?" Cheyenne hissed between clenched teeth.

Momentarily flustered, Monique's momentary flash of temper was over as she was now on the defensive. "Cheyenne, this isn't about..."

Cheyenne wasn't in a mood to hear Monique's usual response of it's not about you it's about your father. She had heard it too many times over the years and she was tired of hearing it. "Ohhhhhh noooooooo...It's never about me. Just every time you get in one of those Daddies nothing but a big piece of shit moods, the person you're always pointing at is me."

Monique pointed towards the house, "He knows what he did, he's the one that left the table..."

A strained smile crossed Cheyenne's face as she was not about to back down. "He was driven away, Monique. He comes home from a plane trip, he's tired and wants to have a few beers, talk to his friends and you drive him off. And you know he won't be back out here tonight."

"He's just gone to the bathroom."

Now it was Cheyenne's turn to fold her arms and lean back in her chair. "That's bullshit and you know it. You two have been married for what...32 years and you don't know where he's gone. I'll tell you where he is...away from you. He's in his office getting things ready for next week's game. That's where he is."

Monique pointed her finger at the angry women, "Now you wait just a..."

Cheyenne laughed bitterly, "There we go with the finger pointing again. You know what Monique? Back in the day you didn't like becoming second class citizens. Well what do you think it's like to be a second class child?"

"That's...that's not true..." Monique said defensively.

"Oh you are so full of shit, Monique. Whenever you get mad at Daddy, you point at me or you point at Annie or Allie. To you we don't count, because we didn't spring from your womb." Cheyenne said bitterly.

Monique was trying to fight back tears, "That's not true, that's not true..."

Throwing up her hands in disgust, Cheyenne glared across the table. "You know what...Daddy might have been a jerk for a year and half back in the day. But you've been a jerk for 32 years. I hope Daddy divorces your bitter old ass and marries a woman half his age."

Monique's eyes grew large, "CHEYENNE..."

"And you know what, Monique? That 30 year old woman isn't going to give a shit about what Dad did when he was 19 YEARS OLD!"

Sitting speechless Monique was stunned. Her mouth was moving but nothing was coming out. She finally managed to find her voice but it was too late.

Cheyenne had, had enough of the argument. She said what she wanted to say and now it was time to leave. She stood up and looked at the silent group. "Well you'll have to excuse me. This second class child has to be getting home to her first class family."

Monique scrambled to her feet to follow her out, "Cheyenne...Cheyenne...you know that's not true..."

Entering the house, Cheyenne spotted her father coming out of his office. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek, "Bye Daddy, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Brushing past, Monique continued to pursue her husband's oldest daughter. "Cheyenne, Cheyenne, come on...You know that's not true..."

Ron watched the two women head for the front of the house. He let out a deep breath, "I bet I'll be hearing about this in morning."

He now turned his attention to Myracle who came stumbling towards him. "Daddy...I don't feel so good..."

Smiling at his youngest daughter he said, "That'll teach you to try and drink with your mother."

Monique her temper now in full bloom once again, stomped up to Ron and pointed a finger in his face. "This is your fault."

Myracle turned her glassy eyes towards her mother, "Mamma, I don't feel good."

Grabbing her youngest daughter by the ear she pulled her towards the staircase. Myracle was shouting and crying. A slight grin crossed Ron's face as he heard his wife scolding the girl.

"_You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Whoever heard of a Stoppable woman that can't hold their liquor?"_

* * *

Watching the two women leaving the pool area, Eaton Trendle gave a low whistle. "It must have been tough on her growing up around Monique."

Annie smirked, "Don't you feel sorry for her. She's top kid and and she won't ever let you forget it. She's Daddies girl through and through. She talks to Daddy everyday on the phone and she watches him like hawk."

"She's pretty protective of her father then?" Felix asked.

"Oh yeah, she doesn't trust Monique and doesn't really trust anyone else including us around him." Annie said with a sad grin.

"Why is that?" Eaton asked. Clearly not believing Annie, since Cheyenne always appeared to him to stay in the background.

Annie took a deep breath, "Well...Daddy almost died before we were born, shot in Hawaii. She doesn't have any contact with her mother so...she keeps an eye on Daddy."

Felix lifted his eyebrows, "I guess that makes you guys feel pretty loved?"

Shrugging Annie said, "Oh, we don't mind it mind it too much. She doesn't say much but whenever anything important is going on...She'll be nearby."

Eaton nodded his head. Trying to remember the Thanksgiving Day meal from two days earlier, he tried to place her husband in his mind. "She's married to the guy that works for the cruise lines?"

Annie nodded, "Yep, and Daddies funded three businesses for her over the years. The only one that's ever done well is that florist shop over by University Hospital."

Blinking Eaton's ears perked up, "Oh...So which florist shop would that be?"

"Bussey's over on 12th Avenue." Annie told him.

He knew the shop. It had been in business for over 30 years. "I know where that is. So that's hers then?"

Nodding her head, Annie said. "Yep, her lawn care business failed, her hair care and nail salon failed. The Bussey family decided to retire, so Daddy bought the business and turned it over to her." Grinning evilly Annie added, "Daddy got tired of her pissing away money on poorly thought out businesses."

Felix frowned, "Still it couldn't have been easy with Monique around all the time."

"Shit..." Annie exclaimed. "Monique had to do some fast talking in order for her to OK their marriage."

Eaton tilted his head, "She really doesn't like Monique?"

Annie grinned, "She gets along with Monique. She wanted Daddy to marry my mom."

Felix grinned, "Ohhhhhhhh..."

"I...I don't understand? I thought all the kids didn't like your mother?" Eaton asked, clearly intrigued by this latest revelation.

"Well, there was a bunch of custody problems when Cheyenne was about 3 or 4. A lot of game playing by her mother, she kept using her as a weapon to get more money out of Daddy. So...Mom put a stop to it. I'm not sure what all happened but...knowing my mother it was probably violent and bloody. She brought her back home to Daddy." Annie said with a wry grin on her face.

Felix nodded his head, "Oh I remember what was going on back then. It was in all the papers including the tabloids. It was quite the soap opera. I don't know how Ron was able to deal with it?"

Annie chuckled bitterly. "The same way he deals with things now...He throws himself into his work."

Eaton frowned as he tried to remember the notes he had taken when he delved into the online newspaper morgue of the Miami Herald. "Ummmmm...I've been drinking so don't hold me to this. If memory serves there were three separate cases. One was a motion to modify the child support. The second is where she tried to get full custody and keep your father from having visitation rights. Then the third one was..."

"There were actually five cases in all. But the third case your thinking of was when she tried to force Daddy to pay an extra 5,000 a month in child support or she was moving back to Texas with Cheyenne. That's when Mom came into the picture." Annie grinned.

Felix frowned, "Now that one made national news. Global Justice interfering with the Florida Division of Family Services, there was a lot of lawsuits flying over that one."

"So Monique had to get Cheyenne's approval then?" Eaton asked.

Annie nodded her head, "Oh yeah...Monique...from what I've been told by Cheyenne was the way she was tonight all the time. She'd root for Daddy when he was playing and then talk about him like a dog whenever he was around."

Felix shook his head, "You wouldn't think that to look at them now."

Frowning and trying to figure a way to explain things that happened before she was born, Annie said. "After Daddy and Monique broke up back in Middleton...I don't know? I think she's upset that once Daddy started playing football...He kind of forgot about her."

Eaton tilted his head, "How could he forget about her, when she was living with his family?"

Letting out a deep breath, Annie was at a loss for words. "You'd have to ask Cheyenne. All I know is when Dad was playing football his life was moving around a million miles an hour. Now that he's coaching it's moving at 10,000 miles per hour." Looking at Eaton, Annie said. "I'm surprised he even makes time to see you...No offense, it's just that you're a distraction."

Now Eaton had something else to think about, and a new person to interview. He was right in telling his wife that he had enough materials for at least 3 separate books. Looking at Annie, he lifted his eyebrows, "I see what you mean."

Annie smiled wanly before turning her attention to Felix. "So Boss, what brings you to these parts?"

Felix took a pull from his beer bottle and smiled, "Just visiting old friends."

"Bullshit..." Annie said with a knowing smile.

Taken aback Felix protested, "No, no, it's true..."

Lifting an eyebrow to show she wasn't convinced. Annie continued to put her old boss on the spot. "Uh huh...Let's see you live in Virginia and you just happen to run into Daddy in Boston..."

Grinning Felix shrugged, "Well...I might have a business venture to talk to him about..."

Grinning Annie asked, "And what may that be?"

Felix grinned, "Well there's this old closed down Lockheed Jet Propulsion plant back in Middleton..."

Annie started laughing, "The one Grandpa Jim used to work at? Christ Felix, you are brave. If you haven't noticed my father's into wreaking vengeance all over the state of Colorado. If you were going to do this in Wyoming, he'd go for it. There's no way in hell Dad's going to fund anything in Colorado, no way."

Twisting in his hover chair nervously, Felix said. "I didn't say it was going to be easy."

Walking out the door to the pool area Ron emerged carrying a cooler with the remaining beers. He grinned at the group before turning his attention to Theodore, "If you're going to be like that, you've had enough."

Felix chuckled, "The bear does give you a hard time."

Ron shrugged and handed his friend a fresh beer, "No more than my wife."

Annie stood up, "I got to be going Daddy."

Grinning Ron happily received a hug and a kiss from his daughter. "Always good to have you over it helps keep Monique out of mischief. Now when you talk to Allie, you tell her to drop by sometime."

Smiling Annie said, "Sorry it didn't work out that way tonight."

Looking up at the second floor bedroom, he waved an unconcerned hand toward their bedroom. "Oh she'll get over it..."

Shaking her head, Annie told him. "I don't know, Cheyenne used the 'D' word tonight."

Ron rolled his eyes, "Oh no...She's going to drive me batty all week now. I swear that girl knows more ways to upset Monique than anyone I know."

"Except maybe you..." His daughter reminded him.

Frowning Ron said defensively, "I didn't do anything."

Annie hugged her father again and kissed his cheek. "I know Daddy..." Turning back towards the men, she said, "See you Eaton, Boss..." Then looking at Theodore she smirked, "Teddy"

Ron watched his daughter walk towards the house. He turned and looked at Theodore then called after Annie. "He says not to call him Teddy, its Theodore..."

Annie turned back before walking out the door. "Yeah well, you tell Teddy to quit being such a whinny little bitch..."

Turning back quickly to face the bear that was still sticking his tongue out at Annie, Ron pointed at him with his bottle of beer and said. "I guess she told you."

Eaton stood up, and reached for Theodore. "I guess I better go too."

"The bear stays..." Ron said firmly.

Looking up in surprise, Eaton said, "Huh?"

Ron pointed at the stuffed toy, "I haven't seen that bear in 40 years. We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Ummmmm..." Eaton mumbled unsure of what to say.

"Nothing is going to happen to him. Unless of course he pisses me off then he's going into the pool." Ron said with a wink of the eye.

Eaton rubbed his chin as he thought it over. "Well...the wife does say he's creepy."

"Well it's settled then, the bear is sleeping over." Ron said happily.

Turning to leave, Eaton suddenly remembered he had a few questions to ask Ron. "Oh...I have this old History Channel documentary that was never aired that has Drew Lipsky and Sheila Go in it."

Ron blinked, surprised that there was a documentary out there that covered the great volcano eruption that he hadn't seen. "Really?"

"Yeah, yeah...Uh...Sheila said something about Kim Possible killing some guy named Doctor Demento?"

"Professor Dementor" Ron corrected him.

"That's the name. Do you know anything about that? Why would've Kim Possible had killed him." Eaton asked.

Professor Dementor was a person Ron had not thought about in a very long time. Ron had heard that Kim had killed Dementor. No one was exactly sure how though. Duff Killigan said that Kim had put 2 pounds of C4 explosives in Dementor's private toilet and when he flushed the resulting explosion only left behind two smoldering boots.

Sheila Go had told him that Dementor had made yet another attempt to acquire Kim's super suit that had long been destroyed during the Lowardian attack. Sheila had told him that after Kim had killed Dementor's henchmen, she had driven a piece of ½ inch round rebar through his eye socket and out the back of his skull. All this of course while he cried, whimpered and begged for his life.

Thinking back to his youth and remembering the short megalomaniac. Ron could remember he never really felt threatened by the man. He felt he was more stupid than dangerous. Whether Kim killed him or not, didn't really matter to him in the big scheme of things. So Ron looked at Eaton and summed up his thoughts on his question. "I don't know if Kim killed him or not. But...hey, sometimes shit happens."

Eaton shrugged as they reached the front door. He decided it was time to go for broke, "Do you think you could get me an interview with Sheila Go?"

Stopping in his tracks Ron's mouth fell open as he processed the writer's request. "Uh...ummm...I might be able to...I don't know? Are you sure? Shego...I mean Sheila can be a bit...temperamental."

Eaton's eyes lit up in excitement, "Yeah, yeah, I really want to interview Sheila Go."

Ron frowned, "I can't promise anything but I'll talk to her son. I usually go through him for things. I usually meet up with Sheila every February in Middleton to discuss charity stuff."

"You see her that often?" Eaton asked in surprise.

"Well...yeah, when she feels up to it." Ron informed him.

"So you go to Middleton every year then?"

Grinning Ron nodded, "Just dropping in on the old neighborhood to see who I'm suing these days."

Eaton grinned, "I was going to plan a trip to Middleton to see where Mom lived. Can I tag along with you? Since you know where all the neighborhoods were located and stuff."

Ron looked at the writer and shrugged, "I don't know? Ask me again sometime when I haven't got a football game coming up or when I haven't spent half a night beer drinking."

"Oh...right, hey thanks for letting me come over and everything. Glad you guys won...sorry Monique got mad at you." Eaton said sympathetically.

Looking towards the staircase Ron shrugged, "She's good for a blow up about 2 or 3 times a year. She'll get over it."

"Well that's good I guess. OK, thanks again." Eaton said happily as he reached for the door knob and let himself out.

Ron stood in the living room and watched Eaton exit out through the big security gate. Then turned to return to the pool, he shook his head as he thought about the man's request. "Geez, he wants to talk to Shego. I don't want to talk to Shego, but I have to at least once a year."

Walking out the door he returned to the round table by the pool. Felix held up a beer bottle, "Me and the bear have been waiting on you."

Ron pulled up a chair next to Felix, "The man wants me to get him an interview with Shego."

"Shit..." Felix said with a grin.

"Yeah, that's what I said." Ron replied as he reclaimed his beer.

A serious look crossed Felix's face. "So that's Tara's son?"

Nodding his head, Ron said. "Yeah...and that's Theodore."

Felix turned and looked at the bear, then turned back towards Ron. He held up his beer bottle for a toast. "To friends long since past."

"May they never be forgotten..." Ron said as he tapped his beer bottle against Felix's.

The two men took a swig from their beers, before turning their attention back towards Theodore. Lost in their own private thoughts as they stared at the old stuffed animal, Felix finally turned towards Ron. "Hey sorry about getting Monique upset earlier."

Ron shook his head, "Don't worry about. She gets in her moods about every 3 months or so. I just wish Cheyenne wouldn't have stirred the pot."

Raising his eyebrows, Felix agreed. "Yeah, she really laid into Monique."

"Something told me I shouldn't have told that story about Kim coming up to Wyoming. I usually have to tell stories to Annie and Allie when Monique's not around."

Felix grinned, "You were quite the stud though at that 10 year reunion though."

"Stop it, I was not." Ron moaned.

"Hell you had tongues wagging all over that gym when you walked in escorting two pregnant women." Felix reminded him with a wink.

Blushing Ron shrugged, "Yeah...well...I could afford two pregnant women that's all."

Felix nodded his head, "True, true...So I guess Monique's still pretty mad about you cheating on her with Kim."

Ron shot an angry glance at Felix. He sat down his bottle of beer and straightened up in his seat. He pointed to the second story bedroom that he shared with Monique. "I love that woman like no other Felix. I have never, ever cheated on her and I never ever will. I just wish..."

Twisting in his hover chair Felix smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry...It's just that...You know the girls being 2 months younger than Ron Junior...You are the father of all three...and..."

Glaring at his friend, Ron told him what he had been dying to know. "Monique was in the bedroom with me and Kim."

Laughing Felix clapped his hands, "A threesome, I knew it. I knew it, man you were wild back then."

"Felix..."

"I bet there was some girl on girl shit going on and you walked in on them right?" Felix asked excitedly.

"FELIX..."

Holding his hands up defensively and laughing, Felix said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...You gotta give me a break, I'm dead from the waist down. I live for this shit."

Ron shook his head, "It's none of your business, and I'm not talking about it anymore to you or the bear."

"Alright, alright, we'll talk about something else then. Man you got my imagination going...So what do you want to talk about then?" Felix asked as he tried to choke back a smile.

Sighing in frustration, Ron pointed towards Felix's face. "Why the hell did you grow that damn goatee? I mean with your white hair, all we'd have to do is put a white suit on and a string tie and you'd look just like Colonel Sanders."

Felix leaned his head back and roared with laughter. After a few moments he regained his composure, "Oh man, you are cold. I grew it because I thought it made me look dignified...There was some girl on girl shit wasn't there?"

"FELIX...YES, YES, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME GIRL ON GIRL SHIT!" Ron said in exasperation.

Giggling uncontrollably, Felix said. "I knew it, I knew it. How about oral and anal?"

Slumping in his chair, Ron threw up his hands. "Yes, yes, oral and anal, bondage and we borrowed the neighbor's pit bull from down the street to take turns on."

Slapping the table and laughing hysterically Felix was close to becoming out of control. Suddenly he stopped laughing and looked at Ron. "Really?"

Seeing his friend was now glaring at him with his arms folded, Felix held up a hand. "Sorry, sorry...I just...I don't know."

Trying to think of something else to talk about Ron decided to ask about Felix's children. "So how are your kids doing?"

Frowning Felix said, "That is low even for you. You know I don't have any kids."

Ron tilted his head slightly. He was clearly surprised by Felix's reaction to his question. "Cindy...Your first wife's name was Cindy, right? She was pregnant at the ten year reunion too."

Sighing Felix nodded, "Yeah, she was pregnant. She wanted kids and I could father any, so I suggested adopting."

"Yeah..."

"Well that wasn't good enough for her. So...she found herself a man, and got herself pregnant. I...I didn't say anything since I knew how badly she wanted a baby. About six months after the girl was born, she tells me it's not working. She doesn't feel the same way towards me and moves in with the baby's father." Felix said sadly.

"Shit..." Ron said sympathetically before taking a drink from his beer bottle.

Felix looked into his beer bottle and sighed, "Yeah...shit...I...I don't have any kids. I always kind of looked at Annie as kind of being my girl. When the big book closes on me...I'll probably leave it all to her."

Looking up towards his bedroom window, Ron said sadly. "I know she'll appreciate it. I...I'm often afraid what's going to happen to Monique when I pass away."

"Why?" Felix asked with a note of concern in his voice.

Letting out a deep breath, Ron looked at his old friend. "She's got a lot of emotional issues from back in the day. You guys kind of saw that tonight."

"Annie said she's mad at you for forgetting about her, when you played football." Felix told him.

"I never forgot about her. She became cold towards me. So I thought she found a boyfriend or something. I thought once we left Middleton to come to Miami, that she was working and living a life. I never dreamed that she had become a shut in." Ron said sadly.

Felix groaned and shook his head, "No, not Monique. She was always so outgoing."

Ron sighed, "That's what I thought. She just hid away from the world in Middleton and kept hiding away when she came down here. I had no idea, I really didn't."

"Things were that bad for her?" Felix asked.

"Oh yeah...I keep telling the kids, if I die don't you dare let your mother retreat into this house. It would be so easy for her to just lock the doors up and live out her days shut off form the world." Ron said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

"I just can't believe it." Felix said sadly.

Ron smiled, "I used to have to drag her kicking and screaming out into the world. Then one year we hired Steve Stannis on as the offensive coordinator. Monique and his wife Janice hit it off real well. Man, those two would go out shopping nearly every day."

Felix laughed, "Spending your money."

Laughing Ron nodded his head, "Yeah, she and Janice would take off for the malls and she'd come back with all kinds of stuff. She used to buy me these little trinkets and doo dads. She came back one day with a nose and ear hair trimmer."

Covering his face with both hands as he laughed, Felix said. "Oh, no she didn't..."

Grinning Ron straightened up in his chair to give his best Monique impression. "Ronnie, Ronnie, I got you an ear and nose hair trimmer. Now I'm not saying you need one, but why don't you take it upstairs and try it out...Right Now!"

The two men laughed and Ron shook his head as he remembered all the stuff Monique used to bring home. "Let's see, she bought me a gadget that warmed up my shaving cream, one of those little food processors that made Julianne fries, uh...Oh, and how could I forget the infamous Chia wig to cover my bald head."

Felix laughed and shook his head, "I can see her buying that stuff too."

Ron's smile faded as he thought about his old friend up at Boston College. "Then Steve took that job in Boston, and he and Janice moved away. Once she left, Monique quit going out."

Felix frowned, "That's too bad."

"Well they get back together in the off season and Monique makes up for lost time with the credit card." Ron said with a smile.

"I bet she does." Felix said with a grin.

Gazing up at the bedroom window once again, Ron said. "Mom warned me when we started dating again." He pointed towards his head. "She said that Monique was still 18 up here, and she was right. In many ways she still is. Which can be fun because she keeps me from becoming an embittered old man, but then on nights like tonight...It can be maddening."

Frowning Felix said, "That's too bad."

Ron took another pull from his bottle, looked towards Theodore and then back to Felix. "Now what the hell did you mean earlier, when you said 'That's low, even for you'?"


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm going to take a break for a bit on this AU and return to the AU of Ronnie Diamond and finish up No Touchie. I think, depends how the plot bunnies play out in my head. Anyway many thanks to keth1, swordbunny4486, Yankee Bard, AtomicFire, Zaratan, and soulman3 for their reviews. **

**Remember write a review and receive a reply. Thanks for reading my stories and I hope you enjoy chapter 14.**

**Bubba**

* * *

The two old friends sat outside drinking the last of the beer from the party. Felix Renton was trying to decide weather or not to ask Ron about funding a business based in the old abandoned Lockheed Space Center. Ron seemed to be in a pretty good mood, especially since Monique was angry with him about things he did 40 years ago. Felix decided he was going to give it a try, he figured the worse Ron could do was say no. Or maybe hit him over the head with a chair. Depending on how well he received the request.

"So Ron, do you remember a few years back when I was able to walk?"

Ron looked over at Felix and nodded, "Yeah, I was going to ask about that but..."

"You didn't want to be rude."

"Yep"

Felix sighed, "I thought as much. The mechanical exoskeleton that I was working on then was revolutionary. Light, sturdy and was flexible enough for walking up and down stairs or even mountain climbing. I never tried to mountain climb with them on, but I can't tell you how much I enjoyed walking up and down stairs."

Smiling, Ron said, "I bet."

"Well the only draw back was the neural motor circuitry. I had to literally tell my legs what to do every step I made. This wasn't bad when I was younger, but now that I'm older."

"It's hard to keep focused."

Felix nodded his head, "Exactly, I quit using the devices because it was just too mentally draining. Things you guys take for granted such as getting out of bed was a major chore for me. Having to tell your legs what to do every moment of the day was just too exhausting. It was easier for me to just go back into the chair."

Ron looked away from his friend and nodded his head in agreement. "It must have been tough to give up the mobility."

"It was...But I think I found a way to regain that mobility, Passive Neural Electrical Stimulation. The PNES chip is implanted just under the hair line, behind the ear. It ties into the motor control functions of the brain, the functions that tell you to keep breathing and the heart to beating, that sort of thing. The chip will adapt and allow the recipient to just think as a normal person would and have the exoskeleton respond naturally."

"Wow"

Felix laughed, "Yeah, wow...You always had a way of phrasing things."

Ron grinned, "I'm especially articulate when I've had a few."

Looking at his empty beer bottle and then showing it to Ron. Felix said. "So if I wanted another beer, I could just think about getting up and getting one. No more having to think out each individual command."

Reaching into the cooler next to him, Ron fished out another bottle for his friend. "Or you could just ask your old buddy Ron to get you one."

Taking the bottle, Felix grinned. "I hoped you would take the hint?"

"So what kind of start up capital are we talking about here?" Ron suddenly asked out of the blue.

"What?"

"You just didn't happen to bump into me in Boston. Now that I've heard your sales pitch...It sounds promising."

Felix ran his fingers through his white goatee. He wasn't expecting Ron to get to the point so quickly. "Ummm...Well, it's not so much of how much but where to set up production facilities."

Ron made a face, "Not Third World I hope?"

"No, no...I was thinking about a place that had a distressed economy, cheap labor, somewhere where we could get a lot of tax subsidies...Where there's a large abandoned Lockheed Space Center..."

"Middleton...Good God you are talking Third World." Ron said as he screwed up his face to show his disgust.

"Well...uh...Annie...said...you probably wouldn't go..."

"Sure, why not?"

Felix's mouth fell open, "Uh...You're not going to change your mind when the beers have worn off?"

Ron dug around in the cooler once again and pulled out another beer. "I've got business interests in Colorado."

"I thought you just sued people?"

Grinning Ron explained. "Well, I had a lot of personal litigation with a few SOB's many years ago. Any personal damages I received...My cousin Raffi and I reinvested in the state, kind of a transfer of wealth, sort of a modern day Robin Hood."

Felix laughed, "You've got that state coming and going don't you?"

Ron continued to grin as he explained, "Well one does try. I have to keep the Residents down every chance I get. Their kids grandkids are getting into politics now, making more stupid laws. I need as much financial firepower at my disposal to keep them in check by keeping them in court. Local money is always the best."

Shaking his head in amazement, Felix asked, "So you're OK with this?"

"Sure, I think if this idea of yours works...I could earn some serious money and fund my legal rampage for another generation. I'd be gone but not forgotten." Ron giggled evilly at the thought of punishing his old adversaries from the grave.

"You really do have it out for those people don't you?" Felix asked sadly.

Still grinning, Ron said. "Oh yeah...I don't forget and I don't forgive. It's a Jewish thing, eye for an eye and all that."

"I'd never dream that you'd still be that angry." Felix said quietly.

Ron sighed, "Felix, I still have a lot of anger. Monique still has a lot of anger. Those people back in Middleton that lost everything to those dirty bastards still have a lot of anger. Your mom was smart, she took you and left."

Felix held up his beer bottle, "You hide it well."

"No, it's always there. You just have to know how to see it. It used to drive me when I was younger. I came to Miami to play football when I was young...I always thought I just played angry. I think subconsciously I was angry all the time." Ron said sadly.

"Well it certainly worked for you."

Shaking his head, "Yeah, but I hurt a lot of people. I did a lot of things I'm not proud of. I used to go out of my way the day before a game to make myself as angry as possible. I was so damn mean and nasty that no one wanted to be around me. I'd go out on the field and I'd just take it out on whatever team was in front of me."

Felix nodded his head and asked. "So how many years of anger management did you have to go through?"

Ron laughed, "Shit...I didn't need anger management. I got shot twice in the chest in Hawaii with Kim and damn near died. Kind of gave me a whole new perspective on things."

"I bet..."

"I decided that hurting people wasn't the way to do things. Once the Dolphins cut me and no one came calling for my services...I was disappointed but I always said that when I quit playing that was when I was going to settle down and get a wife. Live the American dream...I had to shed a lot of anger in order to do that."

"That's when you and Monique hooked up?" Felix asked.

"Sort of...I mean...I owed her a good date. The first date at Smarty Mart was kind of sad, everything was kind of sad back then...Actually I wanted to find a blonde stripper and just have a trophy wife lounging by the pool. Have her pop out a half dozen kids...Yeah, good plan."

Felix roared with laughter, "Oh yeah, that sounds like a good young man's plan."

Ron laughed and nodded his head, "Yep that was the plan. I took Monique out one time, next thing I know she's moving in and dictating orders...and I thought...what the hell, why not?"

"It was more complicated than that though."

"It is, but I've been drinking and I don't want to go into all that right now...She hit me in the head with a chair once." Ron chuckled, amused at the memory.

"What did she do that for?"

"Oh we were just married and the Vikings called and offered me 10,000 a game just to sit on the bench and then more money according to playing time and how far they made it into the playoffs." Ron explained.

"What's this got to do with you getting hit over the head with a chair?" Felix demanded.

Ron frowned, "I'm getting there, I'm getting there...So Monique's pregnant with Bug...Ron, Jr. when we head up to Minneapolis. The Vikings set us up with this furnished apartment near the practice facility. The first game I'm in is a home game against the Arizona Cardinals."

"RON!"

"FELIX...I'm getting there. So Saturday night comes along and I start to go through my pre-game rituals...Asshole 101 as I used to call it. I would start to get mad about stupid stuff, then I start thinking about Middleton...Thinking about Kim dumping me way back when..."

Felix lifted an eyebrow as he could see Ron becoming more and more animated. "Easy now..."

Ron laughed bitterly, "Anyway, Monique's never seen me like this. I started calling her bitch, whore and every nasty thing you can call a woman. Then I dropped the 'C' word."

"Oh no..."

"Oh yeah...Well I turn my back, ranting about something stupid...I don't remember exactly what it was. I turn around and see a chair coming right at my head. I ducked and managed to avoid most of it. I wasn't able to avoid Monique. She was screaming and crying, but that didn't stop her from kicking my ass all over that apartment." Ron laughed as he remembered the night.

"She was pissed."

Nodding his head, Ron had to agree. "Oh yeah, well the Zorpox side of my personality is telling me to kick the bitch out. The Ron side of the personality told me that I was only in Minnesota for 4 to 7 games at the most. So I had to make a decision."

"I see you chose wisely." Felix grinned.

"Yeah, I kicked her ass out. I had a game the next day."

"WHAT?"

Ron started laughing and shaking his head, "No, no...I decided that Monique was more important than playing football. I just had to find a new way to motivate myself...I still had a lot of apologizing and groveling to do. She was one mad pregnant lady."

They both started to chuckle and then laughed harder as Ron started to imitate his wife. "You don't ever call this woman a cunt. You call me a whore one more time, and I'm going to cut that dick off while you're asleep."

Felix was laughing so hard he was red in face. "Oh man, she was hell on wheels."

"Oh yeah..." Ron chuckled appreciatively.

It took a while for Felix to calm down and catch his breath. "How did she get Cheyenne's approval for the marriage?"

Ron looked at Felix strangely, "Where did you hear that?"

"Annie"

Rolling his eyes, Ron grumbled. "I swear that girl does know how to run her mouth. Was Eaton still here when she said that?"

"Yep"

"Shit...Now he's going to want to talk to her. I'm trying to keep my kids out of the limelight."

Felix shrugged, "Ron they're all grown now. They can look after themselves. So what won Cheyenne over?"

"Well, Monique kind of broke her mom's nose and beat her up. Nothing like watching someone kick your deadbeat mother's ass to endure yourself to a little girl." Ron giggled gleefully.

"Oh I'm sure this is a good story." Felix said happy to have Ron's support for his business idea as well as hearing all the juicy stuff about a girl he had a crush on many years ago.

"Yep, Stacey...Cheyenne's mother's name is Stacey Brewer. I always called her Stacey Ho. Anyway she decided to drop by one night about 2 years after I was given sole custody of Cheyenne. It was late, after 9:00 PM, so we had just put Cheyenne to bed. She was all wound up about something and didn't want to go to bed." Ron explained as he took another drink from his beer bottle.

"So anyway, the gate speaker goes off and I answer it. It's Stacey Ho wanting to see Cheyenne...Now mind you I have sole custody and she doesn't have visitation. So I told her to call in the morning and we'd talk."

"Sounds reasonable..." Felix observed.

"Yeah, I thought so too. Anyway..."

* * *

Ron looked at the camera that monitored the street in front of the house. He could see the woman he had sexual relations with in a Vegas hotel room seven years ago standing outside along with two rather large men. Noting the late time, as well and the large white cargo van that the trio had arrived in. Ron's paranoia kicked in as he answered the call from the gate.

"Hey Stacey, what can I do for you?"

The woman was agitated but tried to force herself to remain civil. Her voice was tight and strained as she spoke. _"Hey Ron, I'd like to see my daughter please."_

Ron cringed as he heard the woman's irritating Texas drawl. _"God, I should have let Tee have this one and I should have screwed the short one with the big titties."_

Monique who had just moved in a few weeks earlier walked up behind Ron and whispered. "Is that Cheyenne's mother?"

"She's in bed now, how about coming by in the morning and we can talk about it?" Ron turned to Monique and whispered. "Yeah, I have no idea who the other 2 guys are."

Looking at the cameras, Monique became afraid as she noticed the men didn't want their faces to be seen on camera. Then she looked over the woman and was not impressed. She was skinny with a boyish body and a mean angular face, with a sharp nose. "You screwed that thing?"

"_Well my friends and I are just passing through and we'd really like to see Cheyenne."_

Ron glared at Monique, "Not now..." Ron pressed the talk button and spoke to the woman on the street. "I don't think so, come back tomorrow."

"Damn straight come back tomorrow...I can't believe you screwed her." Monique snapped bitterly.

"_Come on Ron...I really need to see Cheyenne. You wouldn't deny a mother her child would you?"_

Ron raised an eyebrow and looked at Monique, "I'm going to let them in."

"What...why?" Monique gasped.

"Call 911, I have the feeling they're...No...I'm going to make them force they're way in. Call 911 though." Ron said quietly as he examined the two men with her.

They were large enough. He couldn't make out much other than they appeared to be muscular. They were both larger than Ron. He shivered as he thought about being shot in the abdomen again. He had just recovered from the gunshot wounds after nearly 2 years. The wounds that he had received prematurely ended his playing career, not to mention his life. A chill ran up his spine, _"I hope they don't have guns."_

"Not gonna happen Stacey. Come back tomorrow."

"_What happens next is on your head Ron."_ The woman at the gate said ominously.

"Shit" Ron spat as he watched the two men begin to force their way past the security gate.

Monique returned from making the 911 call. She looked at her fiancée' uneasily, "What happened?"

"Remember what happened before Kim brought back Cheyenne?" Ron whispered as he started to walk towards the front door.

"Not really..." Monique said fearfully.

"We had joint custody and I took Cheyenne home after a visit. Then she wouldn't let me see her anymore. Tried to extort money out of me...This is a child snatch." Ron said angrily.

In a mirror near the front door Monique caught the slightest flash of blue coming from Ron's eyes. She knew now that he was serious. Opening the door quickly Ron strode out in front of the house, just as Stacey and her friends were squeezing through the gate.

Monique was on Ron's heels as the group met halfway towards the front door. Ron pointed at the group. "Turn around and leave now..."

Stacey pushed past Ron to come face to face with Monique. It was clear Monique was scared as the skinny black haired woman grinned at her. She was just a bit shorter than Monique and about 20 lbs lighter. Monique nervously took a step back as she watched Ron step off the path to keep all three intruders in his sight.

Grinning at Monique, Stacey sneered. "So Ron, this is how low you've sunk...now you're fucking niggers."

Before Monique could think about what she was doing, she lashed out and punched Stacey Brewer in the nose. The woman staggered back a few steps, before regaining her balance to try and charge her. Monique however was having none of it as she tackled the woman and began to punch in the face over and over again.

Ron meanwhile had his hands full with a large man, who now seemed much less threatening as Ron got a closer look at him. He was flabbier then he appeared on the security camera. Still the man was much larger than he was.

The beefy man threw a punch at Ron's head. Grabbing the man's wrist and twisting hard, the man yelped in pain and tried to pull away. Acting quickly Ron drove his left fist into the man's right arm pit. He was rewarded with a loud pop as the man's shoulder separated.

The large man screamed and fell to the ground. Ron quickly moved away from him as he looked for the second man. He saw him running for the gate to get away. Ron didn't pursue him as the police were arriving out front.

Ron grinned as he walked past the man writhing on the ground to take Monique's arm to pull her off the woman. Monique was shouting and cursing as she tried to pull herself free from Ron's grasp. "LET ME GO...I'M NOT DONE YET!"

* * *

"Sounds like Monique had some fun that night."

Ron smiled, "Oh yeah, Stacey Ho tried to have her arrested. Monique started bawling and ran inside the house. I pointed to the gate and told them that we were just defending ourselves from a home invasion. I had the security camera footage and they didn't."

Felix looked thoughtful for a moment. "Did you really think they were there to snatch Cheyenne?"

"I had the police search the van. The police found rope, duct tape, girl's clothing and hair dye. They couldn't prove anything though. However it was enough to get a restraining order." Ron explained.

"Cheyenne see the fight?"

Ron grinned, "Oh yeah, she saw the fight. That's all she wanted to talk about for the next week was how Monique kept her from being kidnapped."

The smile faded from Ron's lips as thought more about that evening. "I think you can see why I don't want my kids or the grandkids in the public eye."

Felix nodded, "Yeah, I never thought about that."

"Stacey Ho tried to get in touch with Cheyenne a few times over the years. A part of me thinks that maybe she really did want to see her. But my common sense side knows she was just wanted to get a hold of her for the money." Ron said sadly.

"You ever see her anymore?"

Ron shook his head, "Nope, I think she went to jail for a while. There were usually long periods of time between appearances. I'm pretty sure she was locked up or something."

"Sounds like she was crazy." Felix said as she let out a soft chuckle.

"Oh yeah, I slept with all kinds back then."

"Now that Monique's not here, there's still one story you haven't told me."

"I'm not going to tell you about why Ron Jr., Annie and Allie are just two months apart." Ron laughed.

Felix however wasn't laughing along with him. "No...What really happened between you and Kim?"

The smile slid off of Ron's face. He glanced over at Theodore and back to Felix. "I don't know if I should tell that story. It might upset the bear."

"That bad, huh?" Felix said quietly.

Ron looked Felix in the eyes and nodded his head, "That bad..."

"Have you ever told anyone about it?"

"No"

"I guess that's one story you're never going to tell?" Felix said quietly.

For a long moment Ron didn't respond. He was no longer at the patio table by his swimming pool he was now years in the past working at Smarty Mart in Middleton Colorado. Ron licked his lips and started to tell the story he had never told in 40 years.

"It was June...I was working at Smarty Mart. I hadn't seen or heard from Kim since October of the previous year. I remember Anne Possible finding me in the store and telling me that Kim was back from school and wanted to see me."

Ron turned and looked at the stuffed bear for a moment as he tried to gather his thoughts. "I hadn't seen Kim's mom in over year." He shook his head sadly as the memories came back to him. "She looked so old, she was working way too much...She just looked so old. I almost didn't recognize her."

"I guess there weren't many doctors around then?" Felix said quietly.

"No, no there wasn't. She was working with the Red Cross then. Middleton Heath Center was destroyed...Flattened like a pancake."

After taking a drink of his beer, Ron resumed his story. "Anyway...I told her that I could drop by the next day. I wouldn't be off work until late Sunday night. She said she'd let Kim know. I knew something was up because she looked ashamed to even talk to me."

"Embarrassed maybe?" Felix added as he tried to help out.

Ron shook his head, "No...Ashamed...Jim and Tim were at the height of their shitty selves. Nothing mom and dad could do to rein those little bastards in...Ashamed, because she knew what I was going to be walking into the next day, they had already had a day with Kim."

"Sounds rough..."

Laughing Ron shook his head, "Oh yeah, those poor people already had a full day with Kim. Monday June 22nd, 2008 was to be my day with Kim."

* * *

Looking at himself in the mirror, Ron was glad that Monday was a shower day. With the water rationing in the various neighborhoods, showers were only allowed twice a week in the winter and three times a week in the summer. Frowning at the reflection he realized the image he was looking at wasn't going to look any different.

He slipped his comb into his back pocket and took a deep breath. He had a bad feeling about what was going to happen today. His friend Yori had sent him a private message on his MySpace page informing him that he was 'Back on the market'. According to her, Kim was engaged to someone "less worthy".

"_Maybe Yori was mistaken?"_ he thought as he continued to look at his reflection in the mirror. That was it. That had to be it. After all if Kim was really engaged to someone else she would have told him...Wouldn't she?

Looking over his clothes, he felt he looked nice. He wanted to look nice for a girl he hadn't seen in nearly nine months. The red Smarty Mart golf shirt, with his beige Levi's Dockers pants was topped off with the black Nike Air basketball high-tops. If this was going to be the end of his relationship with Kim, at least he wouldn't be ashamed of how he was dressed.

Physically he was more muscular and heavier then he had ever been in his life. He weighted a little over a 175 lbs. He had gained over 40 pounds of muscle since they had last seen each other. Ron flexed his bicep. He still wasn't used to the change in his body. If Kim was going to dump him, it wouldn't be because he was out of shape or lacked muscles. Months of monitored nutrition and weight room training at the University of Wyoming had seen to that.

"Time to go..." He muttered to himself as he turned and walked out of his room.

Monique was waiting for him in the living room with Hana. Ron grinned at his little sister, "Hey Squirt..."

Hana held up Rufus, "I dressed Rufus all by myself."

Ron grinned at the very unhappy looking mole rat, "Oh don't you look lovely in that dress."

Rufus wearing a white ruffled dress, complete with bonnet stuck out his tongue at him.

"Don't worry buddy, I'll help you out." Ron said as he leaned over and to whisper to his sister, "Rufus is a boy mole rat."

Hana shrugged, "So?"

Laughing Ron stood up, "So, he needs to wear lipstick to look really pretty."

Rufus's eyes bulged out as Hana ran off with him to find her mother. "Momma...Rufus needs some lipstick."

Monique laughed, "You are evil, you know that don't you."

Laughing, Ron shrugged, "Rufus will get over it."

"You ready to go?" Monique asked hopefully.

Ron blinked, "You don't really want to go see Kim do you?"

"Shaaaaa, of course, I haven't seen my girl in over a year. I bet she's seen all the latest fashions over there in Europe." Monique said happily.

He didn't really want Monique to go along. If he was going to get dumped he felt he needed to be alone. Ron shuffled his feet as he thought it over. Then another idea popped into his head. Maybe, just maybe if someone else was along, she'd hold off dumping him. Or he could at least get a good read of what was going on as she talked to Monique. Maybe bringing Monique wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"OK, let's roll." Ron said as he pointed towards the front door.

They drove out of the Pheasant Ridge Neighborhood, neither of them realizing that their lives would never be the same again. Ron turned right onto the black top two lane road that leads into Middleton. He glanced over towards Monique, she seemed to be enjoying the day out.

He decided to engage his friend in conversation, he needed to talk. His stomach was doing flip flops from his nerves. "I'm going to get us cell phones this week."

Monique's eyes lit up, "Really, oh man, I can't remember the last time I talked on a cell phone."

"Yeah, new cell towers are up. Easier to get cell phones going than it is to fix all the land lines." Ron explained to her. She probably already knew that but he needed to talk.

Grinning, Monique said, "Things are getting back to normal, cell phones, you, me and Kim back together. I missed you guys so much."

Ron smiled weakly, "Yeah..."

Taking a right on State Road 00, he glanced out the window to see the green grass of the Country Club in the distance. He licked his lips as a terrifying thought ran through his head. _"What if Jim and Tim are there. Oh man, I hope they're out torturing small animals or something. I'd hate to get dumped by Kim and shit on by them all in one day."_

Monique lifted an eyebrow as they approached the guard station for Country Club Estates, a gated residential community. "They have guards?"

Ron frowned and nodded, "Need to keep people like us out."

Frowning Monique understood what he was getting at. "You don't think Kim's really buying into all this do you."

Laughing nervously, Ron said, "What...Kim...Noooooooo...nooooooo..."

The green Ford Ranger pulled up to a very state of the art guard shack. The guard looked familiar, but he couldn't place him. Ron looked past the man to the television monitors behind him. The guard looked up and walked out to greet them. "You got business here?"

It was then that Ron recognized the man. He wasn't a guard, he was Middleton Police. "Hey Officer Hobble...Ron Stoppable and friend, we're here to see Kim Possible."

The officer looked over Ron's pickup truck, "What year is this?"

"Uh...1987..." Ron answered nervously.

"Just for your information if you plan on visiting Ms. Possible in the future, we only allow cars manufactured in last 5 years in the community."

Ron blinked, "Oh...well...thanks for the heads up."

Officer Hobble eyed Ron suspiciously, "We don't get many of you people visiting the residents. I'm going to call the Possible's to see if you're expected. What did you say your name was again?"

"Ron, Ron Stoppable, I used to help Kim out...I was a part of Team Possible...Saved the world on several separate occasions." He informed the man indignantly.

"I don't remember you. Wait here..." Officer Hobble disappeared into the guard booth.

"_Who does?"_ Ron thought sadly.

A very bad feeling was coming over him. He wanted to backup and leave but that would look suspicious. Having the Highway Patrol coming to pay a visit to him and his family was not very appealing and that's exactly what would happen if he ran.

Ron reached over and switched on the air conditioning. He was beginning to sweat and the last thing he wanted to do was smell bad. If he was going to get dumped, he was going to at least look and smell his best for the occasion.

Officer Hobble reappeared with a clip board. He handed the board to Ron, "You're expected, sign on the 'X'. "

Ron glanced at what he was signing. It was a visitor's pass. He signed it and handed the clip board back to the officer.

Hobble took the clip board and tore off the top copy of the pass and handed it to Ron. "Now in case you didn't read the rules while you signed the pass. All Neigh...Visitors have to be out of the community by 6:00PM. Failure to abide by this rule can result in arrest and incarceration. If you resist arrest we have authorization to use deadly force. So take my advice and be gone before six."

"Not a problem...So...I can really be shot for being here after six?" Ron asked incredulously.

"Yes"

"Why?"

"Because we can, now are you going inside or not?" Officer Hobble said angrily.

Ron put the truck in gear and drove into the Residential Community. He had grown to hate the phrase, 'Because we can'. He had heard it all too often at Smarty Mart, usually being spoken by Jim and Tim Possible.

The sheer arrogance of the statement was galling to him. A group of people, who were no more important than anyone else 2 years ago, now could decide life or death according to their whims. Ron drove slowly as he watched lawn sprinklers watering the grass in front of the doublewide mobile homes. He slowed to a stop as he recognized someone outside adjusting a sprinkler head. "Hey Wade"

Wade Load turned suddenly and saw Ron and Monique and walked towards them slowly. He smiled weakly, "Hey Ron, hey Monique..."

Ron turned and looked at the girl sitting next to him. He was so lost in his thoughts that he had forgotten she was there. Monique smiled and waved, "Hi Wade."

"Hi Wade" Ron said quietly.

Looking up and down the street before turning his gaze down to his feet, Wade said. "I...I was just watering the grass. Mom likes green grass."

Nodding his head in agreement, Ron said woodenly. "Yeah, yeah, everyone likes green grass."

Wade wouldn't look Ron in the eyes. He just kept looking at anything as long as it wasn't his friend in the green Ford Ranger. "Well...I got to go...It was nice seeing you guys again."

"Yeah...It was good seeing you too Wade. We have to go now...can't waste anytime if we want to be out of here by six. We don't want to get shot...or anything." Ron said sadly.

"Yeah..." Wade said as he stumbled over the curb as he made walked quickly away from them.

Ron said nothing as he pulled away. He was looking at all the nice well manicured yards. He slowed to a crawl as he saw a man washing his car. It was obvious that there was no water rationing here.

The man washing the car looked up and smirked at Ron before he flipped him the bird. Ron said nothing. He just stared at the man. After they drove past he looked at Monique. She too was looking around the community in awe.

Finally Monique turned to Ron, "Do you know how long it's been since I've seen grass?"

He knew the answer but said nothing. He knew she needed to talk just as much as he did.

Monique told him. Her voice was heavy with emotion as she looked at all the green yards that surrounded her. "It was when Mom and Dad were still alive...Dad would always get my brothers to help mow the lawn..."

Ron spotted the Possible's doublewide and pointed it out. "There's where the Possible's live now."

"It looks nice." Monique said evenly.

"Yeah" Ron said quietly as he breathed a sigh of relief. The gold Hummer H2 that Jim and Tim rode around in wasn't anywhere to be seen. For him it was a good omen, it was going to be safe to visit.

Ron pulled up to the curb and parked. He stared at the curb as he realized that Country Club Estates had sewers and weren't on septic tanks like they had in the neighborhoods. Ron fought the urge to smile as he thought, _"Well I guess their shit don't stink."_

Looking up Ron saw that Monique was out of the truck and halfway to the front deck. She was excited to see her friend. Ron got out of the truck quickly and closed the door, "Hang on a second." He called out as he raced to catch up to her.

The two walked up the steps to the door, Ron took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He had been inside the home before but it had been a long time since the day he snuck in. That day he and Kim surrendered their virginities to each other. No one knew he was there so he would have to remember to let them show him around.

Anne Possible opened the front door. She was dressed nicely in black slacks and a white floral print blouse. She smiled weakly, "Ron...Monique...Don't you two look nice."

She stepped outside and hugged Ron. He was now more aware than ever the toll all the work she was doing had taken on her. There was little strength or vitality in the embrace. The moment was strangely uncomfortable to him. He returned the embrace and nodded to her, "Anne, good to see you."

Looking up at him strangely, she had not expected to hear him call her by her first name. The moment was awkward but she moved on and hugged Monique, "So good to see you again too Monique."

Stepping back into the house she motioned for them to follow her. Ron let Monique go in first before he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light.

Once his eyes adjusted to the light, he found the Possible household to look much the same as he had seen it the previous year. Ron glance over towards Monique who stood the entrance wide eyed with astonishment. The differences between the Possible's and Stoppable's living conditions were beginning to overwhelm her.

Jim Possible was stunned at the change in Ron's body that had occurred over the last year. He cleared his throat nervously, and said. "Hey there Ron, long time, no see... Wow…Looks like you've been pumping iron."

Ron turned his attention towards the familiar voice. It was Kim's father, James Possible. It took a moment for Ron to figure out who he was speaking to him. The man's appearance stunned him. He still dressed the same, but the business casual clothes he favored were about 2 or 3 sizes bigger. James Possible had gained at least 40 pounds since the last time Ron had seen him.

Finally after a long uncomfortable pause, Ron greeted Kim's father. "Jim"

Anne stepped forward, "Well…you two must be anxious to talk to Kim?" Looking down the hallway nervously Mrs. Dr. Possible smiled weakly and said, "I'll just go let her know you're here."

Ron glanced at Monique and saw that she was looking back towards the door. The thought of grabbing her by the arm and running for the truck drifted through his mind. It was clear to both of them that they were someplace they did not want to be. They were someplace that did not want them there. They were clearly unwelcome outsiders.

The vibe was strange. Wade and the Possible's were still friendly towards them, but there was now an unspoken, unidentifiable chasm between them. Something was lost and he couldn't put his finger on what it could be. They felt it, he and Monique felt it. He made a mental note that if they survived this trip into Country Club Estates that he would talk to Monique about. She always seemed to be more insightful about such things.

His thoughts were interrupted as Anne Possible reappeared. She didn't look very happy but did her best to disguise it. "Kim's room is the last one on the right."

Ron glanced at Monique and saw that she was looking at him as well. He tried to give a reassuring smile but found he couldn't make his mouth move. So instead he started off on what in his mind was one of the longest walks in his life. The hallway seemed to grow longer and longer as he and Monique walked down the hall.

Stopping outside Kim's door, he finally was able to make his mouth work as he smiled weakly at Monique. She did not return the smile. Ron licked his lips, reached out and knocked on the door.

"_Hey come on in"_

He hadn't realized he was holding his breath. He exhaled deeply and smiled at Monique. The voice on the other side of the door was definitely Kim and she sounded as if she were in a pretty good mood.

A wide smile spread across Ron's face as he opened the door to the room. Once the door was open he and Monique walked in. Ron looked around the room for Kim but only found this girl with short blonde hair standing in the center of the room grinning at them.

A very blonde Kim Possible threw open her arms, and screamed. "RON"

She rushed forward and hugged him tightly. Then backed away and looked him over, "My, don't you look delicious. You're finally starting to look like a man."

Kim turned her attention next to Monique. She looked her up and down, lifted an eyebrow and smirked. "Monique"

Ron and Monique stood in total silence staring at the new Kim Possible.

Shaking her head, so her short blonde hair would swish from side to side Kim grinned happily, and told them. "What do you think? Eduardo felt I needed a change, a whole new me. I've changed, I've really changed, and for the better too."

"Ed...Eduardo?" Ron stammered weakly.

"Yes, Ron...Eduardo...I guess your having trouble understanding me...you being a football player and all." Kim chuckled at her own joke and then held out her left hand. "See the ring he bought me? It's nearly six carats, nice rock, huh? I'm engaged and I've never been happier...Isn't it wonderful?"

Ron's mouth fell open as his mind tried to wrap itself around the fact that Kim now had short blonde hair and was engaged. Engaged to someone that wasn't him. "I...I...kind of thought..."

Kim frowned, "Oh Ron, I know what we talked about in Wyoming but what we had was never love. Surely you realize that now, I mean we had fun when we were kids and that's what it was fun. You were merely a quaint childhood companion and nothing more."

"Oh..." Ron said weakly as he looked into Kim's green eyes. They were definitely Kim's green eyes. He didn't think she was synthodrone or Camille León. No it was definitely Kim.

Monique's mind began to operate. This girl was whacked out but she was dressed in the latest summer fashions from Paris. Her faded blue jeans shorts and a black retro floral print short sleeve button up top were not from any Club Banana from around there. "So...you're engaged?"

Giggling Kim nodded her head. "What is wrong with you people Yes, I'm engaged and by this time next year I am going to become the next Mrs. Eduardo Alfredo Carlos Michael Filipe de Barbon. He's Spanish, and God he is gorgeous, he's a little older than me...30...but as you know age is just a number. Eduardo doesn't seem to mind that I'm younger then he is. He says I'm very mature for my age."

Ron was still trying to wrap his head around what Kim was telling him. "Uh..."

Kim's eyes lit up, "OH, oh, I almost forgot the best part. His family is rich and he's Spanish Royalty, a Count...So that's going to make me a Countess or something, I'm not quite sure."

Monique glanced at Ron, his mouth was moving but nothing was coming out. "So have you...known...Eduardo for how long?"

"God, don't you start on me too. Mom thinks the same way. Just because I've only known him since October doesn't make him a bad guy. I mean...He knows me...He really knows me...and he's helping me to discover my true self...I...I am so much bigger than all this." Kim said as she held out her arms and spun around the room.

"Oh" Monique mumbled.

"Oh...oh...Ron, check out my ink." Kim said happily as she pulled up one sleeve of her top to reveal a silver razor wire tattoo around her left forearm. She then pulled up the sleeve on her right arm to reveal a winged fairy. "Aren't they great? When I get back to Paris, I'm going to have a unicorn inked onto my left leg, just above my ankle."

"Wow..." Ron muttered emotionlessly.

"Eduardo says he likes me with tattoos. They make me look tough." Kim said proudly.

Monique nodded her head, "So...when's the big day?"

Kim giggled again, "Next year, in June...We're to be married in Spain. I'd invite you guys...but I don't think you could afford to come."

Ron shook his head, "No..."

She saw the disappointment in Ron's eyes and then an idea occurred to her. "I know, I can send you all a DVD, it will be just like being there."

Glancing at Ron, Monique thought he was holding up well under the circumstances. "So...how long are you staying then?"

Kim sneered, "I'm just in town to say goodbye and then I'm out of this shit hole for good."

"So where are you off to then?" Monique asked.

"Oh, I'm going to meet Eduardo in the South of France. I'm going to do a little topless sunbathing on the Rivera. Eduardo says I have the most perfect breasts he's ever seen." Kim said happily.

"S...ssssss...seen?" Ron stammered.

"Yes Ron seen. We've been lovers since we first met. It didn't take him long to show me the difference between men and...boys. He's seen me naked many times and I like being naked for him." Kim then turned to Monique and winked. "Compared to what I had before...I never knew what I was missing."

Both Ron and Monique's jaws hit the floor with that last revelation. Ron was through talking for the moment. So Monique felt she had to try and change the subject otherwise Ron was probably going to start crying. "Well...uh...So how's Europe."

Kim shook her head as she looked Monique up and down. "You know something Monique. You really are so pathetically plain without the latest fashions. I mean God woman, you weren't great looking to begin with but at least you knew how to carry yourself."

"Wha...what?" Monique stammered.

"You were always just jealous of me. I know...I can tell these things now. Europe has so totally freed my mind. You only hung out with us at the lunch table so you could live vicariously through me." Kim said bitterly.

"No...I mean..." She looked to Ron for help, but could see he was in a world of hurt of his own.

Kim's verbal attack was becoming relentless. "You were always so jealous of me. I could have any boy I wanted to, if I put my mind to it. You weren't even good enough to get my scraps. Isn't that right Monique?"

Monique suddenly felt very small and trapped. She tried to think but her mind was a jumbled mess. She looked to Ron again for help. No help was coming form Ron's corner. "I...I was...just picky."

Kim laughed, "That's what all the ugly girls say."

Taking a step back as Kim closed the gap between them. Monique raised her hands in fear that Kim was going to slap her. "No..."

"Are those Smarty Mart clothes...they are...God Monique..." Kim's face screwed up in a mask of pure disgust. "You wouldn't catch me dead in those rags..."

Monique tried to say something, tried to run but her legs wouldn't respond. Suddenly from out of nowhere she saw the back of a blonde head. Ron had stepped in between them. Finally she thought the waking nightmare would soon be over.

"Hey that's great news, Kim. Well we've got to go now. Have to be out of here by six and all that..." Ron said quickly as he grabbed Monique by the arm and opened the door.

"I was always so much bigger than you Ron..."

Ron laughed nervously, "Oh yeah, hey congratulations...Tell Eduardo 'Hi' for me and to win is to lose and to lose is to win...or something like that."

Turning quickly he pushed Monique out the open door and into the hallway. Now the hallway looked mercifully short. The only obstacles between them and escape was Mr. and Mrs. Possible.

Pushing Monique in front of him they made for the front door. Mrs. Possible looked as though she were crying. "I'm sorry Ron, I'm so sorry."

Ron nodded at her, "Yeah..."

A very plump Mr. Possible raised a hand tentatively, "Don't be a stranger..." He started to say, until he realized the awkwardness of the statement and looked away instead.

Neither Ron nor Monique could breath. The atmosphere inside the Possible home was literally smothering them. Monique finally regained her motor skills as they reached the front door. She opened the door and then they were out in the bright sunlight of a summer's day.

Quickly they made their way down the redwood deck and onto the well manicured lawn. Monique felt Ron's hand on her back as she watched him open the passenger's side door for her. She crawled into the seat and watched Ron race around the front of the truck. There was still only one thing on both their minds...Escape.

Ron jammed the keys into the ignition and fired the truck up. He sat for a moment trying to get his bearings to find his way out of the Country Club Estates. Finally the way out came to him, he was beginning to calm down. Trying to bring a moment of levity into the day that would forever be known to them as Black Monday, he turned to Monique and said. "Well...Kim was certainly...out of character."

Neither of them laughed. Ron turned to face the Possible's mobile home once again. He could hear the faint sounds of screaming coming from inside. Kim was calling her mother all kinds of names. He realized he was becoming sick to his stomach. Putting the truck into gear, Ron said. "Let's get out of here."

Ron turned the corner and thought, _"If this is what Europe does to people, they can have it."_

Driving slowly past all the new double wide mobile homes, he spotted a Chem-Lawn truck fertilizing the grass of one of the mobile homes. Shaking his head, he thought, _"I wonder if they'd come out and treat our dirt."_

He drove slowly past a Chevrolet Impala police car he glanced towards it. A very angry red faced man sat behind the wheel glaring at him. The bottom fell out of Ron's stomach as he watched the car in his rearview mirror pull in behind him and turn on the emergency lights. "DAMN"

Ron pulled over and the black and white Middleton police car pulled across the front of his truck and stopped. Silently Ron thanked his lucky stars that he wasn't carrying anything on the contraband list as he put the car into park.

A slender Middleton Police Officer stepped out of the car and walked up to the driver's side window to address Ron. "You know why I pulled you over?"

Shaking his head, Ron said. "No"

"Wyoming plates...Why are you here and why aren't you in Wyoming?" The man asked as he tried to conceal a grin.

"I go to school in Wyoming and I'm here to visit my parents." Ron said calmly.

"No I mean, why are you here...In our fine gated community." The officer asked again.

Ron nodded his head, and dropped what he hoped would be the right name to get him out of the mess he saw coming. "Oh...yeah, right...uh...I was just here to visit the Possible's...They're friends of mine...from way back."

"Uh huh...How much gas you got in that tank?" The officer asked.

"A quarter tank...about 4 gallons."

The officer nodded his head, "You have a pass to be in here?"

Ron handed the man his pass. He looked it over and chuckled, "God, Hobble will give any piece of white trash a pass. How old is this piece of shit you're driving?"

"It's a 1987..."

"It's older than 5 years isn't it?"

"Yeah"

The officer stepped back from the door and put his hand on his gun. "I'll need you to shut off the engine and then I'll need you and your girlfriend to step out of the truck."

Ron glanced over at Monique. She was shaking like a leaf. He turned the engine off and then he and Monique exited the truck.

"Put your hands on the front fender." The officer told Ron.

Doing as he was told, he watched the officer look around the interior of his truck. Finally he looked at Ron and grinned. "You have insurance and registration?"

"It's under the visor."

"Good, good, I have a daughter turning 16 in 2 weeks...I think I'm going to have to confiscate your vehicle." The officer told Ron with a soft chuckle.

"I don't think so." Ron said evenly, as his temper started rise.

The officer pretended not to hear Ron, as he walked around the back of the truck till he came up behind Monique. Monique was still shaking as the officer smiled at her. "Nothing to be afraid of...I'm not partial to dark meat...but...you wouldn't begrudge an officer of the law a sample would you?"

With that being said the Officer shoved his hand down the back of Monique's shorts and started to feel her sex. Monique began shake and sob.

Now his temper had reached the boiling point. He glared at the officer and in a low menacing voice said. "Get your hands off her."

"Come again...I didn't hear you, son."

He would hear him now. Ron took his hands off the fender of the truck and started to walk around the front. The officer let Monique go and started to reach for his pistol. "I can shoot you for this."

Ice blue fire glowed from Ron's eye sockets. "Do it...DO IT...PULL THE GUN AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS."

The officer took another step back as Ron continued forward. "I'm going to let you go...with a warning...If I ever catch you here..."

"NO WARNINGS, NO NEXT TIMES, PULL THAT GUN NOW!" Ron screamed.

The officer was frozen to his tracks. Dark storm clouds gathered from a cloudless sky to obliterate the sun. He watched in darkness as day was turned into night. The blue glow pulsated from Ron's eyes as he stared into his soul. Suddenly he realized that the pulsating blue glow was in tune to the pounding of his heart. Instinctively he knew if he pulled out his gun, he would die and in a most gruesome manner. He tried to speak, tried to threaten the terrifying blue specter that was now two inches from his face.

He was nose to nose with the officer now. He closed his eyes tightly as whimpered as he felt his bladder release. Urine ran down the man's pants leg. He tried not to look but found he had to look, had to stare into the blue glow.

An unearthly cruel voice came from somewhere other than Ron. The officer realized as he tried to see through the blinding blue light The boys lips weren't moving, yet he could hear his words.

"I didn't kill the Lowardians for the unworthy to oppress my people. If I ever encounter you again, tomorrow, next week, five years from now...I will kill you. And when I kill you, I will bring to you death eternal...So...Get out of town...NOW!"

Whimpering the man turned, but instead of running to the squad car. He fled on foot. Monique was cowering from inside the truck watched as the blue aura around Ron faded and then vanished. Ron walked quickly back to the truck. He glanced at her, "This place is evil and we need to leave...right now."

They quickly left Country Club Estates, once free of the evil place. He floored the accelerator of the truck and pointed it for home. Monique had now sunk into the floorboard of the truck, still shaking.

Pulling up to a stop sign, Ron reached over to try and comfort Monique. She recoiled from him.

"DON'T TOUCH ME...I...I can...still smell him...I...I can still smell his breath." She whimpered before her body shook as wave after wave of sobs came forth.

Finally she took her seat again and started to yank at her hair. Ron stopped suddenly as a handful of black hair was unceremoniously dumped into the floorboard of his truck. "MONIQUE?"

Monique pulled another handful of hair from her head. She looked at Ron and shrugged. "They're only hair extensions...old and ugly ones...ugly like me."

Ron shivered at the emptiness of Monique's voice. "Monique...there was only one ugly person in that house today...and that person wasn't us."

Another handful of hair fell to the floor. "Kim was right...I'm ugly. I never had any boyfriends. No one ever liked ugly old Monique."

"No...no...come on Monique, you know that's not true."

She pulled out the last hair extension and dropped it to the floor board. Her hair was now above her shoulders as she began to cry again. "This is what I really look like Ron...TAKE A GOOD LOOK! I'm nothing but a nappy headed NIGGER..." Monique began to cry.

Shaking his head at the girl whose hair was now shoulder length, Ron tried to make her feel better. "Noooooo...no, no...Come on Monique, lots of guys liked you in High School...You're not ugly."

"I want to go home...I want my momma...I just want to go home." Monique sobbed.

This was beyond him and he knew it. He floored the truck once again and drove hard for Pheasant Ridge. He needed to get Monique home. He hoped his mom would know what to do because he sure didn't.

The land marks were becoming more familiar now. Ron backed off the throttle so he wasn't speeding any longer. The entrance to home never looked better. He quickly parked the truck in the dirt driveway. Monique jumped out of the truck and scampered up the wrought iron steps, to go inside as quickly as she could. Ron stayed outside for a few moments looking up and down the dirt roads that crisscrossed Pheasant Ridge.

The ground was dry and there was still a cloud of dust kicked up by his truck. The dust would settle and cover everything. The red clay dust always covered everything. It was nature's way of making a Neighbor stand out. If his truck was covered in red dust, he was a Neighbor. Why was he a Neighbor? Because with the water rationing, it was illegal to wash cars or water yards, so it was actually pretty easy to tell a Neighbor from a Resident.

Ron looked at the dirt front yard and smiled sadly. _"Everyone likes green grass."_

He turned away from the street and headed inside the house. He could hear Monique crying and his mother asking what had happened. Opening the door, Ron thought that, that was a pretty good question indeed. Just what did happen to them today?

Hana looked up at Ron. She was visibly shaken to see what had become a big sister to her was now in so much pain. "Why's Momo crying?"

What could he tell her? What could he tell a two year old about how cruel people and life could be sometimes? He finally shook his head and quietly explained to her. "We went to see some friends...that aren't real friendly anymore."

"Why?"

Ron sighed, "I wish I knew..."

He felt a tug at his pants leg. There still in a dress and bonnet but now sporting red lipstick was Rufus. He grinned and tried to lighten the mood. Ron gave his old friend a sad smile and said. "You look nice."

* * *

Monique had finally fallen asleep. Ron had sat at the kitchen table for nearly two hours listening to her sob and cry. Finally Ron's mother made her go and lie down in Hana's room. She was exhausted from her ordeal, but even in sleep Ron could still hear her down the hall whimpering.

Connie and Walter Stoppable finally pulled up chairs to the table and looked at Ron. Connie frowned but asked the question that was on her mind ever since he and Monique had returned home.

"Just what the hell happened out there today?"

Ron shook his head as he tried to think of a good place to start. "Well...we went to Country Club to see Kim...it didn't go very well."

Walter frowned, "Obviously...when did things go wrong?"

"I guess when we first arrived. They had to call the Possible's ahead of time to make sure we weren't lying. My truck is a 1987 and they don't allow vehicles inside unless they're newer than a 2003." Ron explained to them.

Ron looked into the living room to make sure that Hana and Rufus were still watching the Flippies on television. He turned his attention back to his parents. "I was given a visitors pass and told that we had to be out of their by six or we could be shot."

"That's insane..." His mother gasped.

"Were they rationing over there?" Walter asked.

Shaking his head slowly, Ron said. "No, no they aren't. They're watering the grass and washing their cars. They don't live like us."

"We've heard that." Connie said glumly.

"So what happened next?" His father asked.

"Well we went to the Possible's home and we saw Jim and Anne." Ron said quietly.

His parents looked at one another. They were not used to Ron calling Kim's parents by their first names. Connie was now very curious to see how their old neighbors from down the street we're doing. "So how did they look? Was their place nice?"

"They have a double wide...yeah...it's nice. Anne looks old and tired. Jim is fat."

Connie crossed her arms angrily and looked at her husband. "Did you hear that? Jim's fat...All these people going hungry around here and he's fat. I always told you there was something wrong with those people."

Ron frowned but said nothing. He had no idea that to his mother the Possible's would always be "Those People."

Walter held up his hand, "Connie...that's enough. Did you see Kim?"

Sighing Ron nodded his head, "Yeah, I saw her. She dumped me and now, she's engaged to some Spanish Count guy...Count Eduardo Chocula or something. She looked like a deranged blonde pixie."

"I told you Walter, those people over there are sick. No wonder Anne won't stay home, her husband's a fat slob. Her daughters a blonde floozy...always has been..."

"Mom..." Ron started to protest weakly and then let the comment go. After all Kim was an ex-girlfriend now. He would have to learn to become angry and bitter later.

"...Then there's Jim and Tim Possible always harassing Ron at work. Threatening us with harm to force him to do what they want him too...That's sick...That's Nazi Germany, that's what that is. I'm sick of this place and we need to leave."

Walter nodded his head but said nothing as he mulled it over in his mind.

Ron sighed once again and said quietly. "Maybe things will get back to normal when our house gets rebuilt."

Connie and Walter looked at one another and then at Ron. "They aren't going to rebuild our house." Walter said softly.

"Why not?"

"Because they're only rebuilding commercial buildings now, the commercial buildings don't have to clear hazmat inspections." Connie Stoppable said bitterly.

"What?"

Walter sighed, "In order for them to start on our house. Our debris pile has to be checked for lead paint and asbestos. If any traces show up in our pile. It's has to go through an EPA cleanup first."

Ron still didn't understand, "What?"

"Our house was only built in 1990, there isn't anything like that in our pile and they know it." Connie said bitterly.

"We have a 4 year wait till our debris can be tested." Walter explained.

"Then we have to wait another 4 years for a Radon test to be performed on our basement." Connie added.

Walter frowned. "To make a long story short...They want us to keep paying the house note but they don't want to rebuild our house."

"They want their precious property taxes paid. Well your father and I reached a decision about six months ago."

"We mailed Gershman Financial the keys to the destroyed house and told them it's theirs." Walter said with a sly smile.

Ron shook his head, "I don't understand?"

Connie grinned, "They want the tax money on a piece of property appraised at 328,000...They not going to get squat now."

Walter could see Ron still didn't understand. "Ronald we chose to default on the house note. We are not alone, more and more people are defaulting. If enough people default on their nonexistent homes...maybe we can break the backs of the Residents financially."

"If they don't have our money to wallow in they can't continue to live their extravagant lifestyles." Connie added.

"Ahhhhhh...I gotcha." Ron said with a grin. Breaking the backs of the Residents sounded like a good thing to him.

"Now tell us what happened to Monique?"

Ron went through the whole story about how Monique was fondled by the Resident's guard. He edited out his role in the whole affair. He didn't want to upset his mom and dad anymore than they were already upset.

After the story was done, Walter looked at him. He thought for a moment and then spoke to his only son candidly. "Ronald, when you go back to school next month. Do not come back here. It's getting to be too dangerous..."

Ron shook his head, "No, I'm not going to run off and leave you guys."

"Ronald...we can take care of ourselves. We want you to be safe." Walter said sternly.

"If I leave you guys have to leave too then." Ron said as he tried to hold back his tears. The thought of abandoning his family to the winds of fate did not appeal to him.

"We will leave once we're sure all is lost. Then we will go somewhere else and start again..." His father smiled, "Wandering Jews"

Ron chuckled, "Yeah...wandering Jews."

* * *

Felix looked up at the large mansion and shook his head. "I had no idea how rough Monique had it."

Ron sighed. "It was tough times."

"I can't believe Kim treated you guys like that?"

"Kim was high." Ron said sadly.

"What?" Felix exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yeah, she was high. I think her mother knew she was too. She was probably hoping that seeing me would make a difference." Ron said as he sat his empty beer bottle down on the table.

"How did you find this out?"

"Kim told me. She made the mistake of running across me the night before a game with the Jets back in 2012."

Felix smiled, "So I guess you got some payback then?"

"I guess, I took it easy on her. She got a taste of Asshole 101, Monique saw the full effect." Ron chuckled.

"Drugs, huh?" Felix whispered as he shook his head in amazement. "I never thought she would be one for drugs. Eduardo was bad news then?"

Ron sadly explained his take on what had happened to his old girlfriend. "Yeah...He was...I guess it's a story that happens all the time. Young girl goes away from home for the first time. Doesn't know anyone, lonely...She was easy pickings for someone like Eduardo. He was older, more sophisticated and worldly...She got played big time."

Felix grinned, "What's that Theodore...I think you're right. If Ron had of given up on Wyoming and followed Kim to Europe...none of this would have ever happened."

"What makes you think that?" Ron asked bitterly.

Stunned at the vehemence of his friend's reaction, Felix quickly pointed to Theodore. "He said it."

Ron shook his head, and looked at the stuffed bear. "No...no, I'm not that full of myself to believe something like that. If I would have been there...she would have still found him attractive and I would have just gotten the old lets be friends speech. I learned through this whole mess, that if Kim sees something she wants...not even I figure in to the equation. I do know one thing though..."

"What's that?"

"I would have punched that son of a bitch in the mouth, before it was all said and done."

Ron grinned at that, and then shook his head again. "I'm not sorry for the way things played out. I have had a good life. Have a great wife...most of the time. Kids are good, grandkids are great. I did the right thing by going to college in Wyoming."

Looking up at the house, Ron saw the back door open and Monique walk outside. "Shit we're busted, hide the beer."

Felix and Ron quickly looked at the table full of empty beer bottles and then gave up. "Too late..." Felix said nervously.

Monique put her hands on her hips, "It's nearly 3 AM, why aren't you guys in bed?"

Ron looked at Felix and then back to his wife. "I...I didn't have anyone to help me up the stairs."

The excuse didn't seem to impress her. She looked at all the empty beer bottles on the table and shook her head. "You guys drank all this beer?"

Felix smiled and pointed at Theodore, "He helped."

"Fuckin' Bear drank all the beer." Ron said as he winked at Felix.

Monique chuckled at them. "Theodore says that's not so."

Ron frowned at the stuffed animal, "Shut up Bear are you're ass is going swimming."

"Don't you threaten that bear, he's a guest here."

Blinking Ron decided to change the subject. "OH...oh...Hey...When Felix dies he's leaving everything to Annie."

Monique looked at the man in the hover chair strangely. "Well that's awfully nice of you."

"Yeah, yeah...I told him if I die first, that I'm leaving him you." Ron laughed and laughed as Monique punched him in the arm.

"You asshole..."

Ron fended her blow off well. He grinned at his wife. "Still mad at me?"

Monique pouted and sat down heavily in Ron's lap. He let out a loud "Ompf" as she got herself settled. He pointed at Felix and chuckled. "60 years old and she still likes to sit in my lap."

She wrapped her arms around Ron and put her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry..."

Ron kissed her forehead. "Ohhhhhhhh that's alright. I heard Cheyenne was mean to you..."

Monique nodded her head, "Uh huh..."

Speaking quietly in baby talk to his wife he asked. "Did Cheyenne use that awful 'D' word?"

"Uh huh"

"Well we both know that won't happen. I'll never leave my Monique." Ron cooed.

Monique perked up and jumped out of Ron's lap. "Well now that we've got that settled, I have to make time with my future husband."

She moved quickly over to Felix's hover chair and plopped into his lap. The chair rolled from side to side before Felix could bring the hover chair under control. Once it was stabilized Monique took Felix's right hand and placed it on her breast. She turned to face Ron and stuck out her tongue.

Felix looked at Ron nervously.

His eyes narrowed as he looked at the two of them. Ron stuck out his index finger and said angrily. "Now that's enough of that. I don't need to have a bunch of kids running around her looking like Colonel Sanders."

Laughing Felix stuck out his tongue at Ron. "You can't get pregnant from a tongue, Ron."

Ron pointed at Felix and fired back. "That's what Kim told me. The next thing I know I've got twin girls that she says are mine."

Monique sat up straight and put her hands on her hips. "Oh no that's not what she said. She said and I quote."

Doing her best Kim Possible impression, Monique rolled her eyes, flipped her hair and said. "_Tsk_, Ron...I'm on European birth control the best in the world. You can dump a bucket of cum in me and I won't get pregnant."

Ron roared with laughter, "Yeah, yeah...Oh my God...I remember her saying that."

Felix grinned, "So Annie and Allison were accidents?"

Monique and Ron spoke in unison. "SHIT!"

Having had enough fun, Monique slid off of Felix's lap. "Time to call it a night."

"Awwwwwww...I was just starting to have fun." Ron pouted.

"If I know you, and I think I do after all these years. You've scheduled a 1:00 PM staff meeting and you're going to want to be there at Noon." Monique reminded me.

Ron lifted an eyebrow, "She knows me too well."

Felix grinned, "The General's wife sort of thing?"

Monique grinned, "Got that right."

Struggling to his feet, Ron surveyed the damage from the party. "This place is a mess."

"Myracle's going to clean it up. I'm going to blame it all on her in the morning. That'll teach her to pass out at a party. Stoppable woman have got to learn to handle their liquor."

Ron winked at Felix, "Monique holds her licker by the ears."

Monique gasped, "Old man, when we get up stairs, you are so dead?"

Felix laughed, "Now, I don't want a wife that quick."

Giggling Ron stood up from his chair. He weaved just a bit from all the beer he had drunk. He looked at Felix and laughed. "Get it, licker, liquor...God Damn, I'm funny when I've been drinking."

"One of a kind Ron, one of a kind."

Ron pointed towards Theodore. "Felix grab the bear, we're taking this party indoors."

Monique shook her head, "Rowdy old man, bedtime Ron. Let's go."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Warning!! I'm in a writing mood again. I just won't be able to post very many updates until November. I'm attending a school in Denver, Colorado and don't have much free time on my hands. ****I really like being in KP country and I intend to do a lot of leg work and research for my stories after the class ends at the end of the month. **

** I've been working on this chapter since before I was laid off and now it's finished. I hope you all enjoy the chapter.**

**As always write a review receive a reply.**

**Bubba **

* * *

Sitting in his hover chair and staring bleary eyed at the old man in the mirror. Felix Renton ran his fingers through his grey hair and wondered to himself where the time had gone. It had been a number of years since he had drank like that, and it was clear to him that he was not a young man anymore.

He shook his head in amazement at his old friend's tolerance for alcohol. He could vaguely remember being woken around 10:30 in the morning by Monique scolding Ron about the previous night as she helped him get ready to head to the Hurricane's practice facility in Coral Gables.

Felix could vaguely remember Ron mentioning that he had a Sunday afternoon meeting with his coaches to go over game film for next weeks ACC championship game to be played in Tampa.

Buttoning the last few buttons of his shirt, he looked at the old face that peered back at from the mirror. He didn't feel old, but after last night's drink-a-thon, it was clear that he was. Shaking his head, he muttered under his breath. "How does Ron do it?"

Gliding noiselessly to the door, he headed downstairs. He could hear Monique arguing with her youngest daughter Myracle. He chuckled, "That poor little girl must have one ferocious headache."

"_But momma, I didn't drink all that beer..."_

Felix nudged the door open to the kitchen. "Good morning, hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Monique turned to face him with a tight smile on her face. "Try afternoon, and no, no, you weren't interrupting anything. I was just explaining the cruel realities of life to this young lady. You pass out at parties bad things happen."

Myracle whined, "I know, I know..."

"Stoppable women know how to handle their drinking. We do not pass out at parties. Now go back there and finish cleaning up the patio." Monique said as she shooed her out of the kitchen.

"I swear the stuffed bear lives better than I do..." Myracle whined.

"The bears a guest, just like your future stepfather." Monique said pointing towards Felix.

Rubbing his face, Felix was taken momentarily aback, "Whaaaaa..."

Myracle was also taken by surprise, "What you talkin' about momma?"

Monique giggled, "Your father said if he dies before me, he's going to give me to Felix."

Felix nodded his head, "Oh yeah...I remember that...I think..."

Keeping a suspicious eye on her mother, Myracle headed for the door. "I'll be just out side...No funny business or I'm telling Daddy."

"Out" Monique said firmly as she pointed to the door.

Myracle held up two fingers to her eyes and then pointed them at her mother, "Both eyes..."

"OUT"

Felix chuckled as he watched a very unhappy looking daughter head outside with a empty trash bag. "Don't worry honey. You won't have to call me Dad."

Myracle turned her attention towards Felix as she backed out the door. "Both eyes...I'll be watching..."

Monique walked over, hugged Felix and kissed the top of his head. "You hungry?"

"_I SAW THAT..." _

Monique laughed and pointed at her daughter through the window. "GET TO WORK."

Felix smiled, "Nothing like having a teenage chaperone."

Laughing Monique agreed, "It will give her something to take her mind off her hangover. So, you hungry?"

"I could use a little something. It feels like an army has been marching through my mouth."

Chuckling Monique pointed towards the stuffed bear. "That's what Theodore said and I don't even think he did much drinking last night."

"Ughhhhh, I haven't drunk that much in...a long time." Felix said as he tried to remember if there ever was a time he had drank like that.

Laughing Monique nodded her head as she prepared to fix Felix a quick meal. "We're well schooled at drinking around here."

"I don't see how you two do it? I feel like crap."

"Lesson number one of being a football coach or being married to one, you have to enjoy drinking. If you don't drink or don't like to drink, you don't last long in a major University setting." Monique explained as she cracked a couple of eggs into a skillet.

"I guess you get used to it." Felix said as he glanced out the window to see a young girl making a fist and shaking it at him.

"Yep, drink hard, drink often. Ron's cut back a bit over the years, but me and the girls we can still kick it." Monique chuckled happily.

Felix watched the woman cook. He felt guilty after hearing about what had happened to them back in Middleton. Guilty because his mother had decided to move them away just days after the Lowardian attack. He wondered what side of the fence they would have been on. He mused, "With mom working at the Lockheed plant, we would have probably been Residents."

"What's that?" Monique said as she poured some coffee into a cup.

"Oh...uh...I was just wondering if my mom had stayed in Middleton where we would have been relocated to. I was thinking because the Lockheed plant was still around, we would have been...Residents." Felix said cautiously as he watched Monique for a reaction.

Monique agreed, "Yep, if your mother had a job there, you would have been located in Country Club Estates."

"After hearing the stories from last night, I'm glad we left. I had no idea things were that rough." Felix said sadly.

Monique smiled sadly, "It wasn't bad all the time. I got to dance with Ron a few times at a couple of mixers that Pheasant Ridge had in the early days."

"Before or after he broke up with Kim?"

Smiling, Monique reminisced about the early neighborhood parties. "Oh this was way before. Pheasant Ridge was heavily Jewish. So they'd have these mixers for young Jewish boys and girls to meet other nice Jewish boys and girls. Since I wasn't Jewish I was never asked to dance much..."

"...so Ron would dance with you, so you wouldn't feel left out." Felix finished the thought for her.

"Yeah, Ron was a sweetie back in those days. Long before he joined the jockocracy, before football took over his life and turned him into a jerk. He'd look and see me sitting all by myself. Then he'd bring his skinny butt over to where I was sitting in a lawn chair and he asked me to dance." Monique giggled.

"Kim get jealous?"

Monique shook her head, "Nope, she wasn't around. Besides it wasn't a romance thing. At least not with him, he was still Kim's boyfriend."

"Ahhhhhhh"

"No romance, just dancing. It's hard to believe how skinny he was back then."

"Not a lot to eat?" Felix asked.

Monique smiled, "That's why we called them Starvation Dances. That's how the Residents got their idea to hold those Starvation Balls."

"Bottled water?"

Monique looked up at the smiling blonde headed boy offering her a plastic bottle of water. She chuckled and shook her head as she took the bottle from him. "No thanks, I've got the punch...You know you look ridiculous."

Ron grinned happily and modeled his donated clothes for her. "Bell bottoms and white shirt with wide lapels, I guess that makes me the most happening 70's guy in the room."

"You know not all of those donated clothes were that tacky."

He winced, "Tacky? I'll have you know this outfit screams dance party...besides they were free."

Monique smiled, "Only because no one would buy them."

"Well your dress looks nice." Ron said as he tired of talking about his disco outfit.

Monique giggled and stood up to model her prom dress from the 1980's. The red strapless number featured a hoop skirt that was right out of the 1800's. "Well I did have to make some alterations, but like you said...it was the only thing that looked decent out of the donation boxes."

"_Ronnie, Ronnie..." _

Ron turned to see his mother dragging a young girl in tow. The girl looked frightfully embarrassed as she was pulled through a small crowd of people. She was short with brown hair, large eyeglasses and an equally out of style prom dress, she also appeared to be just a trifle young to Ron's eyes.

"Ronnie, this is Betsy Schroeder, her parents live in Upperton. Her mother sold real estate with Century 21 before the attack." His mother said gaily.

Ron held out a hand, "Hi...I guess you know by now that my name is Ron."

The girl shook his hand and stared at the ground.

"Uh...so...where did you go to school?" Ron said nervously.

"I...I...it was to be my freshman year at Upperton West High School." The girl stammered.

Ron glared at his mother, "So Betsy...how old are you?"

"13...I'll be 14 in 2 weeks..."

"Do you hear that Ronnie, 14 in two weeks. What's a few years here or there? Besides she's a nice Jewish girl." His mother slurred.

It suddenly dawned on him that his mother was drunk. "Well it was nice meeting you Betsy."

Ron turned his back on the girl and took his mother by the arm and led her back over to his dad. "Mom, I think you need to lay off the punch?"

Connie Stoppable held onto Ron's arm for support. "Nonsense, I feel perfectly normal...except that I have trouble standing up straight."

Spotting his father in the crowd Ron guided his mother over to the chair he was sitting in. Connie Stoppable stood up straight. Or at least as straight as she could and pointed at her husband. "Walter...you are drunk."

Ron found a folding chair and sat his mother down next to his father. "Don't go anywhere and don't talk to anyone until I come and get you two."

Walter Stoppable smiled, "I want some more punch."

"Sit down Walter, you're drunk."

He quickly walked away from his parents. He spotted his sometimes friend and fellow neighborhood militia member Gary Franks by the punch bowl. "That punch is lethal. What's in it?"

Gary grinned happily at Ron, "Red Bull and...ummmm...Everclear...Torpedo Juice, is what it's called...Try some...it'll...fuck you up...and shit."

Ron groaned at the mention of the 180 proof alcohol, "No...I'm the designated walker. I have to walk my parent's home later."

"At the rate your Dad's been hitting the stuff...you might be carrying them." Gary said as he weaved back and forth.

Hearing Monique's laughter above the music, he turned to see she was pointing at a very unhappy naked mole rat. Ron groaned, "What now?"

Making his way over to where Monique was seated he could tell that Rufus was perplexed about something. _"Ughhh...Sticky..."_

"Oh noooo...Rufus..." Ron groaned as he realized his little pal was covered in chewing gum.

Monique laughed, "I told him the Chicklits wasn't candy."

Ron looked at Monique, "Chicklits?"

"Uh huh, there's a little pack of two in every MRE bag." Monique explained.

Picking up the pink mole rat he examined the damage from the gum. Rufus had chunks of glue like gum all over his paws, face and on his whiskers. "Ohhhh man, it's going to take forever to clean you off. Why did they put that in the bags anyway?"

Monique giggled girlishly, "Even in war, one still needs fresh breath."

Shaking his head Ron picked up one of the open MRE bags and took out the package of crackers and a condiment sized package containing grape jelly. "I just love these little packets of jelly."

"Uh huh..." Monique said absently as she watched Rufus continue to try and extricate himself from his mess.

A blur flashed past Ron's legs. He spun in time to see his little sister run past him. "No, no, nooooooo...Mrs. Stein is supposed to be watching the little ones."

Grinning happily Monique said, "I think she's asleep. Too much punch."

Ron turned his attention to Monique, "You didn't have any punch did you?"

Monique smiled and nodded, her eyes growing large as she did her best to look in control. "Two big cups, the only reason I tried the punch is because I watched that Gary guy mix it. I'm just slightly tight...I can handle my liquor."

Noticing the other people at the party stumbling around that didn't possess her high tolerance for alcohol she chuckled. "Light weights..."

"_Is this your little sister Ron?"_

Turning he saw Betsy Schroeder struggling to control his little sister. She was trying to escape to make her way closer to the source of the music. An old Chevy van that had the rear doors open and music blasting forth from a high powered car stereo system.

"HAN" Ron shouted to get the toddler's attention.

Hana squirmed in Betsy's grasp to face Ron, "Flippies..."

Ron shook his head, and then he quickly picked up Rufus. "Hana, Rufus is all sticky and needs to be cleaned up."

The music all but forgotten Hana lunged towards her older brother and grabbed Rufus. "Rufus dirty..."

She ran towards the family's mobile home with Rufus firmly in her grasp. Rufus screaming in fear of the brutal cleaning he was about to receive. Ron fought back a smile as he watched the two disappear inside. "Sorry buddy..."

"_I WANT TO DANCE..."_

Turning his attention back to Monique, he saw that she was struggling to get out of her lawn chair. "Are you alright..."

"I'm always alright..." Monique said as she grabbed hold of Ron's arm to stop from falling.

Monique's face was now inches from his. She gazed into is big, round, panic stricken brown eyes, "Dance with me skinny white boy."

Ron stammered as Monique pulled him into a crowd of stumbling people who had also fell victim to the evenings punch. "Monique...I don't think..."

Half collapsing into Ron's arms Monique mumbled. "I'm so tired of being alone...You like me don't you Ronnie?"

"Uh...sure...uh..."

"I know...I know...its Kim, Kim, Kim always Kim..." Monique slurred as she tried to stand up straight.

"Monique, maybe...HEYYYYYYY!" Ron exclaimed as he felt two hands sliding down into the back of his pants.

Giggling, she began to squeeze his behind, "You've got such a boney butt...Boney butt, boney butt...boney, boney, boney butt."

"MONIQUE"

"I want me some of that boney butt...Kiss me..." She slurred just before she collapsed giggling to the ground, taking Ron's pants down as she fell.

Ron quickly yanked up his pants, "Oh man, even wearing hip huggers I keep loosing my pants."

Monique brushed a tear from her eye. "That was the most romantic evening of my young life."

Felix stared at her wide eyed with his mouth agape. He finally recovered his voice to respond to her, "Sounds like some evening."

Smiling Monique agree, "From what I can remember and what I could peace together later, it sure was."

Winking at Monique, Felix asked. "So did Ron put his hands where they shouldn't have been?"

Monique smirked, "Of course not, he was the perfect gentleman back then."

"Probably explains why you two have been happily married for so long."

Shaking her head, "It hasn't always been happy...I...I was kind of intense when we were first married."

Felix shook his head in disbelief, "No not you..."

"Yeah, me...I was...kind of intimidated by how many women Ron had been with before we were married. I...kind of made things difficult for him, I was a little possessive and over bearing." Monique said sadly.

Stunned at the revelation, Felix couldn't help but ask. "So how many women do you think he's been with?"

Monique frowned, "A thousand, maybe more..."

"No way" Felix said in disbelief.

"Ron doesn't know himself. He lost track his sophomore year at Wyoming at 30." Monique said sadly.

Shaking his head, "No way..."

Monique was starting to get angry, "You do the math. From the time he was 19 on he was with a different woman almost every night from when Kim dumped him to when he was shot down in Hawaii. Seven years of whoring around..."

"But...but...that's all in the past now...right?" Felix said softly as he tried to calm her down.

"Yeah...It still didn't make things easy...Dr. Phil really helped our marriage." Monique explained.

Felix's eyes went wide, "Dr. Phil, the Dr. Phil?"

Monique nodded, "Uh huh...You have to remember, Ron's pretty rich and high profile. I contacted Dr. Phil and he agreed to help...For a price."

"Celebrity tell all book?"

"Nope, we were on his syndicated national TV show." Monique giggled.

Felix laughed, "No way!"

"Way, it was very embarrassing for Ron. Laying bare our personal problems for everyone to see..." Monique chuckled at the memory.

The television audience applauded the famous nationally syndicated television host Dr. Phil McGraw. The balding man in his late 50's took to the stage and greeted his audience. "Thank you, thank you… "

He walked to the center of the stage and looked into the center camera. "You know even famous people can have relationship problems. High profile celebrities, politicians, and sports athletes are not immune to relationship problems. Today's show we have three couples."

Video began to roll of a late 90's teenage heartthrob, "First we have Agony County bad boy, 33 year old actor Dirk Mustaine and his 17 year old bride Megan will discuss with us the lack of communication that is taking place in their relationship."

Now still photos of a very distinguished looking gentleman appeared on the screen, "Senator Audrey Monroe and her husband Chuck a Callaway County veterinarian will discuss their frustration at their inability to become pregnant."

Video began to roll of a football player, the number 21 emblazoned on his jersey. He was running the ball causing defenders to miss tackling him time after time. Finally the player ran into the end zone and spiked the football.

"Our third couple, who will be the first couple we talk with today are former Miami Dolphins running back Ron Stoppable and his new bride Monique Stoppable. Monique feels that the lack of communication and Ron's constant womanizing has placed their marriage in jeopardy. Now please welcome Ron and Monique Stoppable."

Some of the crowd applauded politely, some of the female audience members screamed as Ron was still considered quite handsome for being 28 years old. Still others booed him for cheating on his wife.

Ron dressed in a very conservative business suit was clearly nervous, it was clear he wanted no part of being on television. He was only there because Monique had made him.

Monique wore sunglasses, a very businesslike pants suit and expression that left little to the imagination that she was very unhappy with her new spouse. She sat down in a chair next to Ron and leaned as far away from him as she could get.

Doctor Phil approached the couple. "Thank you for agreeing to come on the show. I know how stressful opening up your lives to public scrutiny can be. Now Ron, Monique has told us in the preshow interview that she feels that you don't participate in very many day to day activities with her."

Ron shifted nervously in his chair, "I... I mean… We do things together."

"HA"

Turning his attention to Monique, Doctor Phil began the process of opening the door for communication. "Monique, what was the last activity that you and Ron participated in together?"

Monique crossed her arms and glared at Ron, "You mean something other than football?"

Wincing painfully Ron muttered, "Oh man…"

Doctor Phil looked over to Ron, "I thought that you had retired from football?"

"HA"

Ron glared at Monique, "I… I coach a high school football team and teach Social Studies."

Monique leaned over, "Coach, coach, you haven't won a game all season."

"It's the first year for David Posnack Jewish High to have a team. It will take time to build a good program." Ron answered. He was clearly stinging from Monique's barb.

Monique turned away from him again.

Dr. Phil pressed on, "So Ron what was the last thing that you and Monique did together that wasn't football oriented?"

Ron took a deep breath, "Well… we went towel shopping at Bed Baths and Beyond. I never thought that buying towels could be so complicated."

Spinning in her seat quickly to face Ron, Monique spat. "You're only saying that to look good. You didn't want to go to pick out any towels at all."

"Picking out towels is not very high on my priorities list." Ron said defensively.

"SO I'M NOT VERY HIGH ON YOUR PRIORITIES LIST? Well that explains why you just let anyone use any old towel they please?" Monique said angrily.

Now Ron had lost his patience. "Will somebody please give me the instruction manual on towels? We have towels for her. We have towels for me, towels for Cheyenne, and towels for guests. Only nobody bothers to explain to me what towels are which."

Monique glared, "I explained the whole towel rotation program very thoroughly."

"I GOT A DEGREE IN EDUCATION, NOT A DEGREE IN VAGUE CONCEPTS." Ron roared.

"YOU LET KIM USE THE GUEST TOWELS." Monique screamed. It was clear she wasn't ready to back down.

"SHE WAS A GUEST! NOW DO YOU SEE WHY I NEED THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL?"

Dr. Phil raised his hands, "OK, OK, let's get away from towels for a few moments. Ron… Ron Stoppable, former NFL Great… How is intimacy inside the marriage?"

Ron laughed bitterly. "The woman is insatiable. Morning, noon, night, all night long, non-stop all she wants is sex. Not just normal sex, but weird kinky sex. The things she did to me with a turkey baster and a feather duster defy explanation. I didn't walk right for a week after that."

Monique grinned sheepishly, "I was… experimenting with boundaries."

Tearing up, Ron put a hand over his eyes. "She wants sex so much and so often that I don't get much sleep, some nights I just cry while she has her way with me… My balls, my balls are like shriveled up little peanuts."

Dr. Phil's mouth was agape. "Well I think we can rule out intimacy problems."

Monique began to weep as she put a hand to her face, "You never did like those towels."

Felix sat staring at Monique with his mouth hanging open. He was at a loss for words. He quickly tried to remember what towels he had used in the shower that morning. Now he understood why Ron kept pointing towards a set of towels and repeated 2 or 3 times that these were the guest towels.

Monique narrowed her eyes at Felix and asked, "So you took a shower this morning didn't you?"

Nodding his head Felix feebly answered. "Yes"

"Did you use the towels on the right or the towels on the left?"

Swallowing hard, Felix's mind raced as he tried to remember what towels he used for his shower. "The towels…on the left, I think?"

The tension didn't immediately leave the room. Monique smiled evilly, "You used the guest towels. Good…Good…"

The mood in the kitchen returned to normal as Monique looked out the window to see her daughter still working around the pool. She turned her attention back to Felix, the dark mood now gone. "So what else did you guys talk about last night?"

Felix breathed a sigh of relief as the mood had lightened considerably. "Oh I tried to get him to tell me why there is a two month age difference between Ron, Jr. and Kim's girls."

The mood in the room turned icy once again, "What did he tell you?"

"NOTHING, nothing, he wouldn't tell me anything." Felix said quickly.

Monique frowned as she thought about that day many years before. "I'm not certain that is something that should ever be discussed. It hasn't been discussed in the last 30 years and I think that it is best it that it remains that way."

Felix grinned lecherously, "Oh come on Monique. You can tell me a little bit about that day can't you?"

"Month"

"Month?" Felix said looking clearly puzzled.

"Yeah, Kim was here for a month, not just a day."

"Well surely you can tell me a little bit about that month?"

Monique bit her lower lip as she thought about the day Kim had showed up nearly 32 years before. "Well…"

Kim Possible had just finished up a stint at a Global Justice duty station in Darfur in the region of western Sudan. She had been taking duty stations in out of the way backwaters ever since she had saw the love of her life Ron Stoppable shot down in front of her eyes.

Ron had survived the shooting but Kim still blamed herself. To help assuage her guilt Kim had taken assignments that would put her on the other side of the globe. This would ensure Ron's safety and as she mistakenly thought remove any thought of a life with him from her mind.

In theory it seemed like a sensible idea, in reality it was far from helpful. Lonely night after lonely night in the backwater of the world only increased her longing. Finally all sense of order broke down. After nearly a year at the duty station the Sudanese Liberation Movement decided to go on the offensive.

Kim was stranded along with the Global Justice team she was with were trapped in a dead in box canyon. Enduring an artillery barrage that had rattled the fillings loose in her teeth was only one of the problems they face. They were also beyond rescue from a hover jet and one of their team was a murderer. The murderer decided to use the cover of the attack to murder of one of her fellow agents.

Laying face down in a ditch curled up in a fetal position praying that she would not be hit by an artillery shell, Kim had an epiphany. She had always feared being considered little more than a pretty face, nothing more than eye candy.

When Ron had proposed the last time in Hawaii she had said no. She thought that what Ron really wanted was a trophy wife, a brainless twit whose only role in Ron's life would be to lounge around the pool in a bikini and drink cocktails.

Now huddled in a ditch praying for survival she decided that laying around a pool sipping cocktails and being eye candy for the rest of her days didn't seem like such a bad idea. At that moment she resolved that if she were to escape this mess she would take Ron up on his offer and marry him.

After spending 2 harrowing days under fire and solving the murder Kim returned to the Global Justice base camp only to have Wade Load inform her that Ron had married someone else two months earlier.

She was able to accept this as it had been nearly 2 years since she had turned him down in Hawaii and he had been shot twice in the chest before her eyes. What she could not accept though was who he had married.

Monique Williams was one of Kim Possible's closest confidants in high school, but now, now she was a traitor, an opportunist and the most evil woman on the planet. Now as she pulled her rental car to a stop outside the Stoppable compound in Miami, Florida, she was going to make things right.

Carefully closing the door on her rental car Kim stared at her target. Narrowing her eyes she looked over the target. The once friendly mansion was now dark and foreboding in the moonlight. She knew if she rang the bell at the gate that she would lose the element of surprise. She also knew the evil black witch inside would never open the gate.

Pulling out her Kimmunicator she keyed the pad, and whispered. "Wade, I need your help."

"_Not going to happen."_

Rapidly losing patients Kim hissed into the device. "Wade, I need that security system down now."

"_Kim… don't do this."_

"WADE" Kim whispered urgently as the device fell silent.

"Fine, I'll do this hard way." She hissed as she pocked the device.

Recalling the layout of Ron's mansion, she knew the easiest way to defeat the security system that was installed in the mansion was to go over the gate at the back entrance. Kim remembered that the security camera near the swimming pool couldn't see the corner of the property near guest house.

Making her way down the street marking the surrounding mansions for signs of unusual activity, she could detect none. To her mind she was still undetected. She still possessed the element of surprise.

Turning quickly in the alley behind the row of mansions she quickly made her way towards Ron's house. She sprang into the air, grabbed the top of the 12 foot stone privacy wall and pulled herself over.

Landing on the ground softly, she froze to see if she had been detected. Sensing no movement along the large in ground pool, or activity in the house she decided that she was still undetected.

Strolling past the pool as if she owned the place, Kim made her way towards the house. It was still dark. Kim grinned in the moonlight. This was all going to be too easy. She would simply kick the door down, punch out Monique and explain to Ron how he truly loved her and not the usurper. The next morning Ron would file for divorce and he would be all hers once again.

Reaching the door she quickly checked her watch. The time was 11:33, it was a good time of night she thought as she reached for the door handle. Turning the knob slowly she was surprised to find that the door was not locked. She would definitely have to have a little talk with her future husband about this once they got rid of Monique.

Moving inside the door she listened for any sounds of alarm. There were none. So she now carefully made her way into the family room. She froze for a moment as she tried to identify an object in the dark.

It was Ron, he was naked, bound and gagged in a chair. Kim raced forward and quickly pulled the gag from his mouth. She had a tough time as Ron was in a state of panic as he shook his head back and forth violently.

Pulling the gag from his mouth, she now went to work on the ropes. "Don't worry Ron. I'll have you out of here in a second."

Ron struggling against Kim's attempts to help, he hissed. "Kim, get out of here…"

"Not without you Ron."

"Kim, it's a game."

"It's always a game with you Ron." Kim hissed as she fought the ropes.

Suddenly a pale blue light illuminated the room. Kim spun away from Ron in a combat crouch waiting to engage the new unseen threat that was coming into the room. She narrowed her eyes as she saw that she was staring down a toy light saber.

The light saber was wielded by a very shapely, nude black woman. Nude except for the fact she wore a flowing black cape and a Darth Vader mask. Confidently striding into the family room, Darth Monique spoke in the deepest voice she could muster.

"You've been a very naughty rebel soldier."

Time seemed to stand still as Monique could make out in the pale blue light from the toy light saber that she and Ron were no longer alone. She tilted her head to one side as she fought to recognize who the red headed woman was standing just behind her husband.

It was Kim. Immediately upon recognition, Monique began to scream. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"

Then Kim began to scream, Ron having nothing else better to do since he was tied to a chair began to scream. Monique dropped the toy light saber, turned and ran directly into the wall behind her. Bouncing off the wall she became entangled in the long flowing. Flailing the air helplessly she careened into the chair where Ron was tied up, sending him over backwards into Kim.

All three were now entangled in one big pile on the floor. Ron craned his neck around to look at Kim. Her green eyes seemed to glow in the dark. The emotion they carried was something between horror and revulsion.

Ron now turned his attention to the naked black woman who lay on top of him. He could hear her sobbing behind the Darth Vader mask. He let out a deep breath and said to no one in particular. "Well… This is awkward."

"Monique?"

Monique jolted back to reality, "Whaaaaa…"

Felix chuckled softly, "So… I guess you're not going to tell me about that month with Kim."

Monique shook her head slowly and in a shaky voice said. "No… No… I don't think that should be talked about ever again…ever again.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I'd get it started and write a bit, then put it away and write on something else. I seems I just can't focus these days. Hope you enjoy it. Write a review and receive a reply.**

**Up next is going to be a chapter of Sausage King and then a return to my old Knights of Zion story. So take heart I am back in a writing mood.  
**

**Bubba**

* * *

Eaton Trendle sat at an outdoor table of a trendy Miami bistro waiting for a man who had corresponded with for at least 2 years. He had so much material for his book about Coach Ron Stoppable that he was feeling overwhelmed. So it was time to put a call in to another old man for advice.

A balding elderly man wearing a white button up shirt, buttoned to well below his neck and comfortable plaid pants and a Miami Dolphins polo shirt approached the table. He pointed towards Eaton and said in a gruff voice, "You Eaton Trendle?"

Eaton smiled as he stood up. He took the hand the old man held out to him. "That would be me Mr. Fernandez."

Armando Fernandez smiled as he pulled out a chair to sit down. He held up a briefcase before setting it down next to his chair. "I brought my recordings and notes from that book I wrote on Ronnie Stoppable."

The old man was nearing 90 years old. He was widely regarded as the dean of Miami Sports Journalists. He worked as a sports columnist with the Miami Herald for fifty years before he retired when he turned 70.

He had written many books with famous athletes. It was lucrative when he was younger. He would typically give the athlete a digital voice recorder and have the athlete record daily audio dairies during their respective seasons. He would then take the recordings and fashion a book covering a full season.

Some of the books were rather uninteresting and didn't sell well. Then there were books like 'Two Seconds to Destiny', that covered that magical first year of Ron Stoppable's career with the Miami Dolphins. The book sold extremely well and even spawned an ESPN made for television movie. Armando Hernandez never had another book like the book he wrote on Ron Stoppable. Then again, there was never another athlete that exploded on the Miami sports scene quite the way the Ron Stoppable had.

Armando Hernandez smiled at Eaton, "That book about Ronnie Stoppable made me a lot of money. I earned more with that book than I had working for 10 years with the Miami Herald."

"I can't tell you how many times I've read that book." Eaton said happily.

The old man pulled out a cigar, "Did you ever see the movie? The movie was crap, Derek Malone couldn't act his way out of a cardboard box. The cardboard box would have been better at playing Ronnie Stoppable than Derek Malone. The cardboard box would have brought tears to your eyes. Derek Malone was a bum."

"No, no…I can't say as I have had the pleasure of seeing the movie. Are you allowed to smoke that in here?" Eaton asked nervously as the old man lit the cigar.

"Eaton, you look like a nice boy. You let me worry about the cigar, OK."

A server quickly approached the table, and passed the two gentleman menus. She leaned over and whispered in the old man's ear. "Sir, this is a smoke free restaurant. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to put out your cigar."

The old man motioned towards the young woman with a cigar, "I'm old and confused. Now bring us a couple of couple of martinis, the manager and an ash tray if you don't mind."

Eaton shifted nervously in his seat, "Ahhhhhh… So the movie was bad?"

The old man exhaled a thick plume of blue smoke, "Bad ain't the word for it son. A travesty against man it was. Thank God I got paid up front. You want to know what the worst part of the movie was?"

"What?"

"It's Super Bowl 46, 2 seconds left. The Dolphins have the ball on their own 2 yard line. The Fish are huddled up on their sidelines during a TV time out talking about what play their going to run. God Damn Derek Malone says, 'Please give me the ball coach, I know I can score.' Jesus, what a shitty movie, you want to know what Ronnie really said?"

Glancing up as the manager approached the table, Eaton held his breath. Instead of a confrontation the manager produced an ashtray. "Mr. Hernandez, nice to see you again."

"Hey Dante, you always were my favorite grandson." The man beamed gratefully.

"Remember only 1 cigar…" The Manager advised the old man.

"Do I tell you how many flat chested girls to hire? No, you'd get more people in here if you'd hire girls with tits. Guys like girls with tits."

The Manager smiled tightly, "I'll keep that in mind sir."

Armando watched the man walk away from the table, "That's my grandson Dante."

"He seems like a good guy." Eaton said, relieved that they weren't going to get thrown out of the restaurant.

The server brought the two men their drinks. Armando tipped the girl $5.00 and gave her another sample of his sage advice. "Here you go honey, go get them boobs blown up. Or whatever it is they do these days. Men like women with boobs."

The woman took the bill and strode off quickly. Eaton doubted they would see her again today. "So what was it that Ron Stoppable said?"

Armando continued to watch the girl as she returned inside the restaurant "You know those fake boobs even jiggle naturally. Big improvement over the old silicone bags they used to use. I wonder if they feel real."

"I'm not sure…"

"I'd ask Ronnie but he doesn't get around like he used too." The old man said sadly.

Eaton tried once again to steer the conversation towards Ron Stoppable and away from prosthetic breasts implants. "So what did Ronnie say?"

"About what?"

"The movie Derek Malone…"

The old man's mind quickly returned to his previous thought. "Oh yeah, fuckin' Derek Malone… Anyway he serves up that shitty line in the movie 'Please Coach give me the ball.' I know what Ronnie said, I seen it through my binoculars from the press box. I could read his lips. Plain as day Ronnie tells Coach Joe Bob Russell, 'Give me the fuckin' ball.' Of course ESPN changed the line, can't say fuck on TV."

Laughing Eaton nodded his head in agreement, "No you can't say fuck on TV."

Armando placed his cigar in the ash tray and took a sip from his martini. "So are you having any luck getting inside Fortress Stoppable?"

"I've been to the mansion a number of times. I ate Thanksgiving Dinner with…"

The old man's eyes lit up, "Holy crap, you were invited to Thanksgiving Dinner. Ahhhhhhhh Eaton, you're in. You're in tighter than I ever was."

"That's the problem, I've got so much material that I think I need to do 3 books."

"And this is a problem?"

"I started writing this book to tell the story of my mother and what happened in Colorado back in 2008. I mean the Stoppable's were right there in the middle of it all. Now, now I have all this other stuff going on and I'm starting to get sidetracked." Eaton explained.

"Things move pretty quick around the Stoppable's…"

Eaton laughed, "That's putting things mildly."

Armando chuckled softly, and then offered up some advice. "Things are always going a mile a minute with that man. Look Eaton if I was you, I'd write the book you started out on first then you can write a biography on Ron Stoppable, or the inside story of Doctor Ron's final season coaching the Miami Hurricanes."

Raising his eyebrows in surprise Eaton asked. "You really think they're going to force Coach Stoppable out?"

The old man spread his hands. "Who can say, if the Canes lose against Clemson this coming Saturday night, he's out. If the Canes beat Clemson and lose in the National Championship game, he's out. If the Canes win the National Championship, he's still probably going to be forced out."

"That's insane." Eaton said incredulously.

The old man pointed his cigar at Eaton, "No that's school politics. Dan Tovella and those boosters have a lot of money and they aren't afraid to flash it around. Ronnie Stoppable has a lot of money…"

"More than Tovella's group I bet." Eaton said more than a little upset that all the talk on the sports radio stations could be coming true.

"Yes, that's true. Tovella's and his ilk are noisy rich, but Coach Ron Stoppable's money is quiet money. He doesn't flash it around, and to make matters worse Tovella's and the other boosters… Their money is byproduct of Stoppable's money and they don't even realize it." The old man finished with a wide grin.

Eaton shook his head still not quite understanding what the old man was getting at. "So… What is really going on?"

Armando laughed, "What's going to happen is someone is going to get a fucking and it ain't going to be Doctor Ron."

"I don't get it?" Eaton said as he shook his head.

Rolling his eyes at Eaton's naivety, Armando spelled it out a little clearer. "Dan Tovella and his friends have put up a 20 year, 20 million dollar endowment for the athletics program. The only stipulation to the endowment is the removal of the head football coach and the hiring of a more alumni friendly coach."

Eaton raised his eyebrows, "A bribe."

"Well I think 20 million for 20 years is called an incentive and not a bribe. It's an endowment that will free up money from the athletic department that they will be able to use to help finance the new athletic dorm that they want to build. They can only get partial funding from the state of Florida. So this money will give the illusion that the University of Miami is putting money up for the project." The old man confirmed.

"So that's why Tovella thinks he can throw his weight around." Eaton said under his breath.

"Exactly, he and his buddies are calling the shots. Hell, they're so full of themselves they'll probably try to run Doctor Ron off and not pay him for the final 2 years of his contract."

Frowning Eaton remembered a conversation between Coach Ron and his son Lionel on a trip to Dolphins Stadium for the annual turkey day game. "I think that Coach Stoppable is preparing for a fight. I overheard him tell his son if he were to be fired that he… wanted his fucking money."

Armando roared with laughter. The laughter came so suddenly that Eaton was a bit startled. "That's my boy, good, good, he knows what's going on then. So little information comes out from Fortress Stoppable that I was afraid this was going to be a major shock to him."

"I just don't understand why they want Coach Stoppable out so bad. I mean, he's never had a losing season in 23 years."

"Ahhhhhhhhh, my boy, that's the problem. All these supposed big money men weren't around 23 years ago. They don't remember what the Canes football program was like before Ronnie took over. They look around and see all the wins and national championships and think this is the way it's always been."

"They don't see the work that goes into winning those championships." Eaton mused.

The old man grinned, "No they don't. I remember when Ronnie took over. This place was like the Wild West, drugs, shootings, players being arrested on a weekly basis. Ron came in and put a stop to it. Made a lot of people mad, good thing he had a winning record that first season."

Eaton furrowed his brow, "Made people mad about cleaning things up?"

Armando laughed, "Oh yeah, people never complained about the lack of discipline. They thought it added a tough, gang edge to the team, gave them their swagger. Then here comes this little Jewish guy from out of nowhere. And what do you think his first decision is? He bans the players from having handguns in their dorm rooms."

"You're kidding?"

Armando shook his head, "No, no, Ronnie said they were there to play football not shoot one another. Tovella's father Dan, Sr. gave the new coach 3 years before he'd become an ex-coach."

"Sounds like a problem between the Coach and Tovella family then?"

"Well they had a few problems over the years. When Dan, Jr. took over the car business from his father, Ronnie had his first run in with him. He was giving free gas to the players. A clear violation of NCAA rules, that did not go over well then with the coach." Armando remembered.

Eaton took a sip of his martini and looked out towards the street. He was trying to wrap his head around how a coach that lost two games in three years could be fired. "You know, I remember some of this stuff, but I just wasn't into football back then."

Armando smiled, "I've been following Ronnie Stoppable since that day in April when the Dolphins drafted him. I've known him for over 30 years. He's an entertaining guy to follow around."

"Exciting times I bet."

"It was like the circus came to town when he showed up. Media, girls, media, girls, you should see the names of some of these gals he was linked to. Man those were the days." Armando said wistfully.

"I noticed in that old book you said you didn't feel like you really knew him after that first season was over. What did you mean by that?"

The old man sighed, "Ron Stoppable is one of the nicest guys you'll find in sports. He'll answer all your questions, take you around and show you all his trophies and awards. And when you finish your interview or story you come to realize that you've only seen what he allows you to see. You see the public Ron Stoppable and not the real Ron Stoppable. The real Ron Stoppable is very private and very protective of his family. So tell me Eaton, in your research of the coach how much source material did you find on him?"

Frowning Eaton told the old man the answer that he already knew. "I found your book and the Hines book."

Armando smiled, "Exactly, no one ever gets close to him. He doesn't trust anyone. My book came out before he was shot and the Hines book was released about five years ago."

"The Hines book wasn't very helpful."

The old man bristled, "The Hines book is a load of shit. Roger Hines tried to get access to the private world of Ron Stoppable without any luck. Ron Stoppable can smell a hit piece from a mile away. So without any cooperation from the Stoppable's he writes his book. 'Hurricane Force or how Ron Stoppable is a very bad man, a megalomaniac control freak with delusions of grandeur. Does this sound like the man you've met?"

Eaton shook his head, "Nope"

"Nobody else bought it either. That's why the book did as poorly as it did."

"I always wondered why there wasn't much written about him."

"He stays off the radar. He was more outgoing and media friendly before he was shot. After he was shot…" Armando offered.

"He just stayed at home." Eaton finished the old man's thought.

"Hell we didn't even know he got married until he played for the Vikings. Then during Super Bowl 49 they show this fine looking black lady in the crowd and tell the world this is Mrs. Stoppable. Hell he was married for 6 or 8 months before anyone in the media knew about it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, all of a sudden this guy has a wife. I say to myself, 'When the hell did this happen?' He totally took himself off the radar."

"So they didn't have a big ceremony and make it a media event?" Eaton asked.

"Nope, they snuck off and got married in the Bahamas. No more swinging single life for Ron Stoppable." Armando said sadly.

Eaton grinned, "You miss the old days?"

Armando smiled, "Hell yes, it was like a nonstop circus around him. Hot and cold running women all the time, it was always fun to see what famous girl he was screwing next. Then he'd manage to sneak in some football. He was something to see when first came into the league."

Smiling at his private memories of Fortress Stoppable, Armando asked wistfully, "So what did you think of the hardware room?"

"Hardware room?"

"Yeah, where Ronnie keeps all of his awards and championship rings."

Feeling almost embarrassed Eaton said. "I've never seen it."

Armando Fernandez practically fell out of his chair. "You mean to tell me, he never took you upstairs to the room. Regaled you with stories about the good old days, told you stories about the models and movie stars he bedded down with, all the NFL legends that he made look foolish when they tried to tackle him."

Eaton shook his head, "No, we don't really talk much about football. I mean, he goes off into stories about high school from time to time…"

"Eaton, Kid, you're in. You've learned more about that man in a few months than I've gotten from him in over thirty years." The old man proclaimed happily.

Shrugging, Eaton said. "We mostly talk about what happened in Colorado."

"He never talks about that stuff. He never talks about that South American drug lord that Senator Possible shot to death in his swimming pool 4 days before Super Bowl 46. He never talks about getting shot in Hawaii after Super Bowl 47. That crime has always remained a big mystery, never been solved."

"I think he mentioned the shooting once but he didn't seem too concerned about it."

"Ha, that's because he knows what happened to the guy."

Lifting an eyebrow, "Who do you think did it?"

Armando laughed, "Stoppable conspiracy time. Who shot Ron Stoppable? He thinks it was gamblers unhappy that the Dolphins won Super Bowl 47. I think it was someone after the mysterious red headed woman he was with."

"Senator Possible?"

"That would be my guess. Anything bad happens to Ron Stoppable, she usually figures into it somehow."

Eaton thought about it. "I bet that's why she left the girls with him."

"Hard to tell, more things he doesn't talk about?" Armando commented as he stubbed his cigar out in the ashtray.

"Do you think I can get him to come to Middleton with me after the season is over? I'd really like to go through the area with him to see what he remembers."

Armando downed the remainder of his martini. "I don't know why not. He goes out there every year about that time anyway. Just plan your trip around it."

"Really, why does he go out there every year?"

The old man grinned, "More Stoppable conspiracy theories, he meets out there every February with Sheila Go. Supposedly for their combined charitable efforts, after he finishes there he heads to Wyoming to visit friends and to look after his house in Laramie."

"Supposed charitable efforts?" Eaton inquired.

Laughing Armando shook his head. "Well there are those that say he and Sheila meet to discuss former crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Residents of that era. Those that are inclined to believe in conspiracy theories claim they share information from various detective agencies, hold secret trials and then carry out executions of those wrong doers that have evaded justice all these years."

Now it was Eaton's turn to nearly fall out of his chair, "Wow, that's pretty far out."

"Yeah, that's what I think too. Then there's my theory, I think he and Sheila Go get together and fuck like bunnies." Armando said with a lecherous grin.

"No way!"

Armando grinned at Eaton's reaction, "Well you know Sheila's boy Henry looks an awful lot like Coach Ron Stoppable."

Eaton laughed, "I'll have to ask him about that."

"You do that and you may be getting a trip to his trophy room and then out the door." Armando warned.

"Yeah…" Eaton said, as he thought it over.

Armando handed Eaton the brief case. "Best to not to push your luck with that old man…Oh well, time for this old man to get moving before the nursing home discovers I've escaped. Do me a favor. When you finish this book let me write the forward for you."

Eaton chuckled and took the treasure trove of Ron Stoppable material from the man. "You got it. Oh one more question. What do you think will happen if the university fires Doctor Ron?"

The old man sat back down heavily in his chair. "Well for one thing, they're going to try to figure out a way to fire him without paying him. Buying out the contract of a coach the stature of Dr. Ron Stoppable is going to be expensive. Then the lawsuits will start flying around, because you know Coach Stoppable is going to sue. Then the real war starts."

"The real war?"

Armando smiled, "Economic dirty war played only the way Doctor Ron knows how. He owns 40 percent of the Dolphins so right off the bat you know the University's next to nothing lease of Dolphins stadium is going to triple. Then there's going to be a quiet little war in which a number of the university's board of trustees and boosters are going to lose lucrative contracts. Contracts they hold because Ron Stoppable brought the companies in they do business with. Then there is going to be a remarkable reduction in scholarship money coming into the school from corporate donors. You see Eaton, Ron Stoppable does a lot more for that University than people are aware of."

"I thought Ron only owned ten percent of the Dolphins?"

"He did, and then Davis Malone went to jail for stock fraud and Ron bought his interest in the team. The Smarty family owns 60 percent, and Coach Ron Stoppable owns 40 percent. Not bad for a broke kid from Colorado to own 40 percent of an NFL franchise that last appraised for 1.9 billion dollars."

"No, not bad, not bad at all, so things are going to get hot in this town in January?"

Armando stood once again, "It will be over the course of months probably. You'll only see a gradual change in things. Ronnie likes to work quietly. Remember quiet money is power money."

Eaton stood with the old man, "I'll get the check."

"Damn right you will. They took my wallet away from years ago. They think it'll stop me from getting out of the home." Armando Fernandez grinned happily.

"Well it looks like you can still get around and do whatever you need to do."

Armando was getting ready to answer before he saw a group of people emerging from the door to the restaurant. "Damn, caught again."

"There you are Mr. Fernandez, time to go home." A friendly lady that Eaton believed to be a nurse said.

Eaton waved to the old man as he was escorted towards the door. The old man turned back to him, "Record that Classic Sports channel tonight. At 2:00 AM the 2010 Sugar Bowl is on. Wyoming and Georgia…"

"Come along on home now Mr. Fernandez." The nurse said patiently.

"Tell Ronnie to come see me. I need his help. They beat me and make me eat applesauce…" Armando said suddenly.

"Grandpa, they do not." The manager of the restaurant said impatiently.

Eaton forced a smile on his face as he continued to wave at the old man and his party. He glanced down at the briefcase and thought. _"I hope it's not full of applesauce."_

**

* * *

  
**

The call had come into the football offices late. It was a call that Ron had hoped would never come. He sent his assistant coaches home for the night and had his offensive coordinator Dan Doaks drive him to University of Miami Hospital. Ron looked out the window of the van it had started to rain. It would be a typical South Florida rain, rain for twenty minutes and then blow out to sea.

"You think we can run against Clemson?"

Ron was brought out of his thoughts by the Coach Doaks question. "I think we can run. We just have to have the offensive line get physical and punch the Clemson front four in the mouth. Punch them hard enough in the mouth and they'll be on their heels for the entire game."

"You want me to keep a back in the backfield to pick up the corner blitz? They like to blitz their corners."

Thinking it over Ron nodded, "Yeah, I guess… Dan work up some ideas when you get home. I haven't got my mind in the game right now."

"Sure thing coach."

The small car pulled up outside the emergency room. Coach Doaks looked over at Ron, "Hope it's not as bad as it sounds."

Ron opened the door of the car, "Yeah, thanks Dan. I'll see you in the morning, and thanks for the ride."

"No problem."

Turning away from the car Ron headed into the emergency room. It was crowded. He figured it must have been a busy night for the police with all the people standing around for various cuts and injuries. Emptying his pockets at the security checkpoint he surveyed the situation.

There were loads of people, and not very many hospital employees. He hoped he could find the room soon. Finally he was able to put his things back in his pockets after a pass through the metal detector.

Ron then found the information desk and after a few minutes was waited on by a lady behind the counter. "Can I help you?"

"Ann Possible"

The woman frowned and nodded her head. She tapped on a computer keyboard. "She's not here, we transferred her upstairs. Room 735."

Looking around the room bewildered, he finally asked, "Where…"

The lady never looked up as she motioned towards a set of double doors. "Down that hallway first right and then to the end of that hall you'll find the elevator bank, take the elevator to the 7th floor."

Following the directions he made his way towards the elevators. It was a relief to get out of the emergency room. Emergency rooms in his mind were such dreary places. Plus if Ann Possible was no longer in the emergency room, that would mean she was going to be alright.

Finding the elevators in a more pleasant environment, he pressed the button to call for the elevator. A short heavyset middle aged woman joined him to wait for the elevator. Ron glanced at her and noticed she was staring at him. "Are you going to the 7th floor too?"

"Oh no I'm heading to the 10th floor." She answered, still staring at him.

"Ahhhhhhh" Ron said as he did his best to ignore her.

"You look familiar…"

Glancing at the woman, he smiled, "Really?"

"Oh yes, you look just like that football coach that everyone hates." The woman said rubbing her chin as the elevator arrived.

"Hates?" Ron said as he held the elevator door for her.

"Tenth floor please. Yes, you know the one that everyone wants to fire if the Dolphins lose on Sunday."

Relieved she wasn't talking about him, Ron shook his head. "No, no I'm not him. I'm told I look like that handsome coach for the University of Miami Hurricanes."

The woman frowned and narrowed her eyes to get a better look at him. "I don't know him."

The elevator door opened to the 7th floor. Ron smiled as he got off the elevator. "This is my floor."

Exiting the elevator, Ron thought. _"Have to sit down with Artie after the NFL season is over. We have some firing and hiring to do."_

Walking up to the nurse's station he was happy to see the floor was mostly deserted and quiet for the late hour. "Excuse me, where can I find Ann Possible's room?"

The nurse pointed across the hall. Ron thanked her and walked up to the door and read the paper name tag that was affixed to the room number, _"Dr. Ann Possible"_

He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to calm himself before he opened the door. The room was dark with the only light coming from the machines monitoring the small frail elderly lady that lay in the bed. He winced this was not what he wanted to see. Kim Possible's mother was always so full of life. A voice caught his attention.

"Hi Daddy"

Ron turned and saw his daughters. He hugged Annie first, "Good to see you two were able to come."

"Does Mom know yet?"

Shaking his head, he hugged Annie's twin sister Allison. "No, I have to get to the house. I don't have her number on me."

Annie frowned, "Well you'll have to call. Neither of us have her number."

"Well you'll have to inform the assholes, because you know what will happen if I have to do it."

"Daddy" Allison scolded.

Ron shrugged and stepped closer to the bed. "What happened?"

Annie frowned, "The lady at the retirement home said that Grandma was in the common room watching her friends play cards. When it was lunch time everyone got up to go eat except for her. One of the nurses checked on her and saw that she was just staring at the card table. Apparently she had a major stroke."

Reaching down he took Ann Possible's frail hand, "Oh man…"

"She had a couple of mini strokes once she arrived here." Annie finished.

Ron glanced over to his girls. "What did the doctors have to say?"

"She can't respond to questions or communicate. They're not sure if she can understand what's happening around her."

"What do you think?" Ron asked.

Annie shrugged, "I don't know, the doctors aren't holding out much hope. They're saying she could pass at anytime."

Feeling a slight squeeze of his hand Ron looked down at the woman he had known almost all his life. Her right eye was open just a bit, the left eye remaining closed. He didn't know if she could see him or not. Ron leaned over close to her ear. "Hi Ann, it's me Ron."

Looking into her eye once again he felt he could see a glimmer of recognition. "I'm going to call Kim… and the other two. They'll be here to see you get better."

Cringing inwardly at what he had just said. She of all people was a former brain surgeon and she of all people would realize she was coming to the end of her time. Standing erect once again Ron smiled at her. "Look the girls are here, Annie and Allie…"

Allison leaned over the other side of the bed. "Hi Grandma, it's me Allie… I'm pregnant again."

Ron could see just the slightest movement from Ann's mouth. He could tell she was trying to smile. Grinning he told her, "One more grand kid to add to the brood."

Ann Possible's eye closed once again as she slipped into unconsciousness. Ron sighed and looked up at his daughters. "What's the plan? I need to get back home to call your mother."

Annie raised her hand. "I'll stay with her through the night and call Uncle Tim and Uncle Jim."

"I'll drive you home Daddy. Then I'll come back in the morning and relieve Annie."

"OK, now who's going to pick up your mother at the airport in the morning?"

Both the girls looked at their father. Ron shook his head. "Oh no, I can't do it. I have to be in Coral Gables, big game in two days."

Everyone stood staring at each other for a few moments. Each lost in their private thoughts about why no one wanted to pick up Kim Possible from the airport. Then a thought crossed Ron's mind. "She can rent a car. What am I thinking? She knows how to drive. She can rent a car."

With each person satisfied, Ron turned to Allie and said."I guess it's time to take me home. Monique's waiting up for me with Felix. I don't want to leave her with him for too long. Felix can be very persuasive."

Annie gave her father a goodbye hug. "Yeah, you better get home."

Ron took one more look at the woman in the bed. He whispered to his daughters. "I hope I get to see her again."

Allie hugged her sister, "I'll see you in the morning."

**

* * *

  
**

Ron waved at his daughter as she rolled through the security gate. Little was said between the two of them as he had fretted over how he was going to tell Kim that her mother was dying. He hated calling her. Every time he called, it always ended in an argument. She would always talk down to him or say nasty things about Monique, which always led to him hanging up on her.

Of course the times Kim had called him over the years. Those calls were pleasant and cordial, usually because Kim needed money. Ron was usually only too happy to help her out. He had financed her foray into private investigating nearly 20 years before. The only string he attached to the money was that she had to have a partner. Kim was not immediately agreeable to the request, but eventually produced a partner in of all people Michael Allen McMillan, husband of her high school arch rival Bonnie Rockwaller.

Mike McMillan was a large man, with a gruff voice that rarely spoke. Kim knew him from her Global Justice days. Ron had no idea how Bonnie had met him. He had secretly believed that the reason why Bonnie married him was that she had finally found a man, who didn't mind her talking all the time.

Ron had only met Mike once at Bonnie's wedding. The man could have easily been an NFL lineman. He was in his early 40's 6'2 and a very muscular 240 pounds. He was a huge, hulking and he felt if provoked could be a very unpleasant man. The conversation he had with him was short. It consisted of "Hello, yes, no and a grunt. This was Bonnie's perfect man alright, he thought to himself after the meeting.

He smiled as he walked inside the house. He remembered Kim sweetly asking for $40,000 to open an office in Southern California. Then she got mad and hung up on him when he insisted she find a partner to watch her back. Ron's reasoning for this was simple. At 43 years old Kim was getting on in years. Detective work is one thing but her crime fighting skills weren't quite what they had been when she was 14.

Two days later he received another call from his very charming ex-girlfriend with her new partner. Ron grinned and told Kim to put the man on. She did and he asked Michael McMillan only 3 questions. He could still recall the conversation on the phone.

"_What?"_

"Hey Mike, are you still big?"

"_Yeah"_

"You still mean?"

"_Yeah"_

"You got any problems with killing people to keep Kim safe?"

"_No"_

That was good enough for Ron. The next day he sent Kim an overnight letter with a check for $250,000 to get her started. Three months later Kim paid him back. Or rather Bonnie Rockwaller paid him back. She did not want her husband indebted to of all people Ron Stoppable. Ron endorsed the check and overnight the check back to Kim to reinvest in her business. A few years later Kim paid him back and he again endorsed the check and sent it back to her.

Monique made her way down the hall towards him. She hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry to hear about Ann. Does Kim know yet?"

"Nope, I'm just getting up the courage to call her."

Nodding her head, she gave him a rundown of the days activities. "Let's see, Eaton called the 2010 Sugar Bowl is on at 2:00 AM, Felix is out by the pool, Theodore is in the family room watching reruns of American Starmaker, and Myracle is out with Ashton."

Ron froze in his tracks and turned on Monique, "What was that part again?"

Smiling weakly, Monique said. "Theodore is in the family room watching American Starmaker reruns…"

"No the last part, about our daughter."

Monique raised her chin defiantly. "I don't like that tone mister."

"Monique, it's a school night." He said to her not altering his tone one bit.

"Well, they're on a mission." Monique said firmly.

Shaking his head, Ron gloomed. "I hope the mission doesn't involve going to the Circle K for a packet of 3."

Monique's temper flared, "I don't believe you just said that about our own daughter."

Ron still shaking his head and pushed past her, "I have 3 other daughters. Believe me, I know how 18 year old girls think."

Storming into the family room he was greeted to the sight of Theodore propped up in his easy chair with a large snifter of brandy and a cigar between the stuffed bears legs as he watched television. "Oh why don't you just make yourself at home?" He said angrily to the bear.

Monique grinned shyly, "You know how Theodore is about his cigars."

Sighing Ron walked towards his office. "I'll be out in a bit. Have to call Kim."

"Good luck" Monique shouted at the disappearing form of her husband.

Closing the door behind him, Ron mumbled. "Thanks, I'm going to need it."

Opening the top drawer of his desk he dug out the little black book with all of the secret phone numbers that Kim had given to him. He was to use the numbers in order and when the 10 number had been used, he was to return to the first number.

He was on the 9th number. The 8th number was used to tell Kim of the passing of her father. That had not gone well. Ron took a deep breath, picked up the phone's receiver and dialed the 9th number. The number was still good. He kept count with his fingers, 1, 2, 3, 4 before it was answered.

"_YOU SON OF A BITCH, YOU MADE ME PREGNANT."_

"Whaaaaaaa…"

"_Ha, ha, gotcha…"_

"Kim?" He said in disbelief.

"_Yeah, it's me. What's the sitch Ron?"_

Ron was at a loss for words. Kim was her usual belligerent self. "Ummm… Ummmm… You sound…different."

"_Pfffffff, yeah… I finally found a medication that works." _

"Oh…" Ron said warily.

"_Oh yeah, you know about my ongoing problems with depression…"_

"No…" Ron said nervously.

"_Oh yeah, I've had it… well… since back in high school or should I say after graduation_." Kim informed him.

Ron lifted an eyebrow, and thought to himself. _"Well that explains a few things."_

"No, no, I never knew."

"_Neither did I till I had a psych exam with GJ. It's mandatory to have one if you put some scumbag down. Anyway that was back when I was around 30."_

"Ah"

"_I tried different medications over the years but never found one that worked for me until about a year ago."_

"Well I'm glad it's working for you. Hey I've…"

"_Of course if I take it on an empty stomach like tonight I get kind of loopy."_ She told him happily.

"Oh… Anyway, I've got some…"

"_So why don't you call me more often. Afraid Monique will get jealous?" _

"Uh…no… I was told to only call in case of emergency." He reminded her.

"_Oh phooey, I haven't had anyone want to kill me in years. You can call me anytime you want. Except when the Senates in session… or when I'm in the bathroom… or late at night…"_

"Kim, I've got some bad news." Ron finally broke in.

"_Oh no, I hate bad news. Bad news sucks…Is it about the girls?"_

"No, no the girls are great."

"_Good, I'd hate to have anything happen to them. I wish I could get along with them…" _

"Yeah, I know, I hate to tell you this but…"

"_Then don't, you should never do something you hate doing."_

"Kim your Mom's had a stroke and she could pass at anytime." Ron finally blurted out.

"_Oh no… Oh no… So I guess I should go see her…"_

"Yeah, I would."

"_You know I hate seeing Mom. I always feel like I let her and Dad down. I mean things just didn't go like I planned and…"_

"She never asked what happened to you. She was just so happy to hear from you when you'd call." Ron reminded her.

"_I know... That just made things worse. I wish she and Dad would have just let me have it_." Kim's sad.

"It wouldn't have changed anything."

"_I know… Are you going to pick me up at the airport?"_

Ron frowned, "Let me know what time your plane is coming in and I'll see what I can do?"

"_Think Monique will let me stay with you guys?"_

Taking a deep breath, Ron thought about it. "I'm not sure. I can let you know in the morning."

"OK, OK, So how bad off is Mom?"

"Bad stroke, she had several little strokes once she reached the hospital, can't communicate with anyone. I'm not sure if she knows what's going on around her. It just breaks my heart to see her like that." Ron said truthfully.

"_Oh man, this is not a good time for this to happen. You know the holidays and all."_

Ron sighed, "Kim, take it from a guy who's lost both parents. There never is a good time."

There was a loud sigh on the other end of the phone. _"Yeah, I guess you're right. How have you been?"_

Chuckling Ron told her. "I'm still a fat old man that needs both his knees replaced. How have you been? Are you still thinking about running for the Presidency in 60?"

"_I'm alright, medication is working great. I haven't felt this good since I was in high school. I dropped that idea of running for office. Politics is so screwed up. You can't help anyone from Washington."_

"Yeah…"

"_I better get going. I have to find a flight and pack. Look it was really good talking to you."_

Chuckling, Ron had to agree. "Yeah, it was kind of fun not being screamed at."

"_Hey now, watch it or I'll quit taking my pills."_ Kim teased.

"Call me with your flight plan."

"_I will…bye."_

"Bye"

Ron hung the phone up and breathed a sigh of relief. That had gone better than expected. Now his attention was turned to the home front. He wanted to know where Myracle had gone and just how much brandy the bear had consumed during American Starmaker.

He found Monique waiting for him outside the door. Monique looked anxious. "Well how did it go?"

"Better than I expected. Now where is Myracle?"

"Oh she and Ashton eloped." Monique said in a matter of fact tone.

"WHAT!"

Monique began laughing, "You should have seen your face. It was priceless. Myracle is having dinner at Ashton's house. She's meeting his mother tonight."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…" Ron said as a wave of relief flowed over him.

"Now go in back with Felix and I'll warm your dinner up for you."

His pulse rate returning to normal Ron walked past the bear that was now occupying his chair. The bears gaze transfixed on the television. "I wonder if they ever show me doing the naked mole rap?"

"No dear, they quit showing that after it sparked rioting in Gambia." Monique called out from the kitchen.

Frowning he walked outside. "Everyone's a critic."

Felix was waiting for him. "You talk to Kim?"

Pulling up a seat around the table he nodded his head. "Yep"

"She going to be staying with you?"

Narrowing his eye at his old friend, he had a good idea of just where the conversation was going to go. "Haven't got that far yet."

"Sounds like another threesome to me." Felix said slyly.

Ron frowned, "Felix, her Mom is dying."

"Oh yeah… Maybe later?"

Ron shook his head. "Maybe never, Kim likes her men younger these days… And I am no longer young. I swear you're worse than the bear."

"Theodore was curious too." Felix said with a soft chuckle.

Glaring at his old friend, Ron decided it was time for a subject change. "So what did you and Monique do all day?"

"Well if we're going to change the subject. We talked about the good old days. She told me about you guys going on the Dr. Phil show."

Ron laughed, "We never went on the Dr. Phil show."

"She says you guys did. She said you were fighting about towels and her hightened sex drive."

Ron laughed even harder now, "Felix… Felix… One thing you have to remember about Monique is… well, she likes to tell little tales to shock people or to get a rise out of them. She was having fun with you."

Felix frowned, "So I guess the party in what's left of Middleton, where she got drunk and pulled down your pants didn't happen either."

Shifting nervously in his chair, he cleared his throat. "Well yeah, that …that really happened."

"Oh"

Continuing to look nervous, Ron asked, "So did you use the guest towels?"

"Oh yeah" Felix whispered.

"Good, good" Ron said quietly.

"So what's the deal with the towels anyway?" Felix asked.

Chancing a look back at the house, Ron said. "I have no idea. I've been married to that women for over 30 years and I still don't know about towel etiquette."

"Here's dinner." Monique said as she appeared out of the house.

Ron smiled, all conversation about towels ended. "Looks good."

She sat the plate down in front of him. "There would have been more but Theodore had seconds."

Felix laughed, "He needed a full stomach for all that brandy he drank."

Taking a bite of his food, Ron decided that now would be a good a time as any to broach a touch subject. "So should I invite Kim to stay here?"

Monique frowned, "How did she sound?"

"Sane"

"Well she can stay. She just can't use the guest towels."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Sorry once again for the long delay. I've been writing bits and pieces of chapters for other stories and decided to sit down and finish this one. Another chapter coming soon will be for the sister story to this one. Mission 1: Sausage King. Then I can try to get my groove back with a fun chapter of Knights of Zion. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Write a review and receive a reply.**

**Bubba**

* * *

The butterflies were awake and fluttering about in the pit of her stomach. It had been nearly twenty years since Monique had laid eyes on Kim. Now here she stood waiting for her at the baggage carousel. She looked up at the incoming flight monitor again. She shook her head and muttered. "I don't know why she had to fly commercial? Woman's sponged enough money off Ron to buy a plane."

Little by little passengers made their way to the carousel. Monique shifted nervously. It wasn's so much fear of seeing Kim as it was just what kind of Kim she was going to find once she saw her. Sometimes it could be pleasant, strained but polite. Other times it was like a middle school screaming match. Monique would be blamed for everything from the girls having pimples to mistimed periods. She sighed, "Well Ron did say she sounded sane."

Her breath caught in her throat. There she was, tastefully dressed as you would expect a politician to dress. Kim wore elegant black pantsuit, black pumps and a pair of oval reading glasses. She pulled up momentarily as she spotted Monique.

The two stared at each other for a few moments before Kim crossed the distance to greet her. "I thought Ron was picking me up?"

The tone was even, no hint of anger or condescension. Monique smiled tightly as she thought. _"Well, hello to you too."_

"I dropped him off in Coral Gables. The ACC Championship game is on Saturday."

Kim rolled her eyes, "I might have known." She stared at Monique for a moment, and then said casually. "It's good to see you Monique…"

Monique nodded, "Good to see you, I wish it could have been under better circumstances. Sorry to hear about your mom…"

"Thanks… I've got four pieces of luggage coming up." She said as she looked away to the carousel nervously.

The bags finally began to come up the conveyor belt. Kim pulled off one bag, then another. She turned back to Monique, "I was wrong I only have three. I have my carryon with me. So how've you been?"

"Good, good, kids are good…"

Grabbing another bag off the carousel, Kim smiled. "I see Ron Junior's making a name for himself. Wyoming won the Bronze Boot game last weekend."

Monique smiled, obviously relishing the success that her oldest son was enjoying out west. The win also didn't go unnoticed by her husband. At the mention of the border rivalry game between Colorado State University and the University of Wyoming, Ron was quick to remind anyone that would listen. "Never been a Stoppable coached team that's ever lost to CSU."

Kim chuckled, "I hate football."

Laughing Monique agreed, "Tell me about."

After the luggage was recovered, the two made their way back to the car. Kim looked over the small car. "I don't know why but I was half expecting the vette."

Monique smiled as she popped the rear hatch. Remembering the sleek shiny red Chevrolet Corvette that Ron had won for being the Most Valuable Player during Super Bowl 46, she sadly informed her of the cars demise. "Steven put that through several palm trees years ago."

"Ouch, was he alright?"

"Before or after Ron got done with him?"

The two shared a laugh as they got into the car. Monique was feeling much better about Kim's latest appearance. She decided it was safe to make small talk. She decided that running down her schedule of the day was probably a safe enough subject. She pulled to the toll booth for the airport's parking lot and paid the attendant. She then glanced over at Kim as she pulled into traffic. "After I drop you off at the hospital, I have to go to Marty's Club. We're having the senior's over tonight for dinner. We're going to have a big barbeque, has to be big to feed those guys."

Kim glanced over at her half thinking she was talking about the Senor's, before she understood what Monique was talking about. "Oh yeah… Right, I bet they do eat a lot."

"Block and Angela are coming over tonight."

Smiling as she thought about Brick Flagg's younger brother and his wife. She hadn't seen him in years. She saw Brick all the time, now that he was the Governor of Colorado and he was the one that appointed her to fill the vacant senate seat of the late Senator Arbuckle. Brick was still angry his little brother had an NFL career and he didn't. "Really, how is Block doing?"

"He's good… He's trying to talk Ron into doing some stuff for the Redskins. It's been 25 years since Super Bowl 59."

Thinking it over Kim nodded her head. "Hard to believe it's been that long. It still seems like…"

Monique glanced over at Kim as she looked out the window. Uncomfortable with the silence she pushed on. "Then we're going to watch ESPN. They're debuting the special "Game of the Ages" tonight. It's the 20 year anniversary."

Remembering, Kim nodded her head. "Right…Yeah, I guess I hadn't thought about that either. You know Jerry Blamhammer still hasn't forgiven Ron."

Monique looked puzzled, "About what?"

"He was a USC Film School graduate…" Kim explained

"Ohhhhh…" Monique said quickly suddenly understanding why Jerry Blamhammer would be unhappy. After all it was the Ron Stoppable coached Miami Hurricanes that dismantled USC in the 2028 National Championship game.

"I worked on a case for him about three years after the game. He was still crying about it."

"ESPN tried to setup interviews with Ron, but he wouldn't do it. He said he wouldn't do anything to draw attention to that man."

"I knew he hated the USC coach but I never knew why?"

Monique glanced over her way and said, "He won't even talk much about it with me. All he says is that apart from your brothers, he can't think of a man he hates more than Steve Cantwell."

Kim winced at the mention of her brothers. "I called them last night. They should be at the hospital by now."

"I know the girls should be there too."

Kim frowned, "Great…I can't really talk to them too much with Jim and Tim hanging around."

"Yeah…" Monique said quietly. Afraid to say anything more for fear of making Kim upset.

"I called Joss too. She's on her way. She should be in town today or tomorrow."

Slamming on the brakes, Monique turned to look at Kim angrily. "SHE IS NOT STAYING WITH US!"

Having just prevented herself from going through the windshield, Kim turned to look at her, "What the…"

"That woman is crazy and she is not staying with us, and I sure as hell don't want her around Ron." Monique said bitterly.

Still clearly puzzled by Monique's behavior, Kim asked. "What do you have against Joss?"

Horns started honking as other motorists around Monique began to honk impatiently at the woman who had just stopped her car in the middle of the road. Monique started driving again and looked over at Kim. "Ron screwed her a few times in Laramie in his senior year. Next thing you know Ron's drafted by the Dolphins and she decides to show up in Miami… to be with her man."

Feeling the color rising in her face, Kim gritted her teeth. "Ron slept with Joss?"

"Girl, who hasn't that man slept with?"

"Ron slept with Joss?" Kim said once again as she tried to grasp what Monique had just told her.

"So she shows up at the mansion, when Ron's out of town. Breaks in and starts telling everyone she's Mrs. Stoppable. Crazy girl had everyone believing it too. Raffi had to get a restraining order after he had her arrested for breaking and entering."

"Ron slept with Joss." Kim said once again as she started thinking of little things that she thought was strange behavior for Ron way back when.

"Girl is fucked up."

Doing the math, she turned to Monique. "Joss was what 16 or 17… She was a minor…"

Monique gripped the steering wheel tightly, "Gee, you think Ron was checking his women for ID's back then."

Kim started laughing as she realized all of this had happened over 30 years ago. Joss was married and had kids of her own now. Whatever went on then was long over with. "For some reason I'm not surprised. I don't know why, I just wouldn't put it past Ron to take advantage of a minor back then."

"SHIT…" Monique spat bitterly.

Still in denial, Kim thought over how to explain her cousin's behavior all those years ago. "I'm sure Ron led her on…"

Monique whipped the car to the right and drove up into the circular drive of the University of Miami Hospital. Slamming on the brakes in front of the revolving doors, she turned to face Kim. "Get out…"

"What?"

"Get out and you keep that woman away from my husband." Monique spat venomously.

"Monique that was over 30 years ago…"

Her temper now out of control, she glared at her old friend. "OUT… If it wasn't for your mother, I'd of never picked you up. You are NOT using my guest towels."

Kim stared at the woman in disbelief for a second before she realized she was serious. Grabbing her laptop she stepped out of the car. "Monique…"

Before she could say anything else, Monique put the car in gear and pulled started to drive off. Kim had barely enough time to close the car door. Muttering as she watched the Toyota as it sped out to the street. "So much for getting things off on the right foot…"

Turning she walked through the revolving door to the Hospital. She sat down on a couch in the lobby and closed her eyes. This was going to be hard. She hadn't seen her mother in nearly 10 years, and now here she was going to her death bed.

She reached into her laptop case and pulled out a note book with the room number Ron had given her the night before. She glanced at it. These days it seemed that if she didn't write things down, she wouldn't remember them later.

Watching people coming and going she tried to take her mind off of seeing her family. How long had it been, ten, twelve years since she had seen the girls? She knew it had to be a good 25 years since she saw her brothers. She didn't really care if she ever saw them again. They were twisted somehow. Not the little boys she knew before the invasion.

She pushed thoughts of the old days out of her mind. It wouldn't do any good to obsess over the past. Feeling more confident she stood up from the couch. It was time to get on with it. It was time to say goodbye to her mother and time to try and heal old wounds with her daughters.

**

* * *

  
**

Monique gripped the steering wheel tightly as she made her way to the Marty's Club warehouse store. She was upset that Ron had bribed her into picking up Kim at the airport. Upset with Kim for telling her that her slut cousin was coming to town for a visit. This was the last thing she had wanted. It was bad enough having Kim in town with her issues, now it was compounded with her cousin. Pulling to a red light she fumed, _"All those Possible women are screwed up."_

She tried to think of just how it was she got roped into picking up Kim from the hospital in the first place. Then she remembered. Ron had bribed her.

**

* * *

  
**

"Come on Monique…"

"NO"

"Please"

"NO"

"Fine, if we lose on Saturday it's all your fault." Ron told her as he sat down to eat a quick breakfast before heading off to Coral Gables to continue preparing the Hurricane's for yet another ACC title game.

"I don't care. I'm not picking up Kim at the airport." Monique told him flatly, her mind fully made up.

As Ron finished up his breakfast, he seemed to accept Monique's answer. Then he looked up from his bowl of cereal. "You seen my sunglasses?"

"There with your hat."

Finishing his cereal, Ron stood up and walked over to the sink. He rinsed the bowl out and placed the bowl in the dishwasher. Thinking over the answer he realized he hadn't seen his hat either. "So where's my hat?"

Monique was trying to hide her amusement. "Theodore borrowed them."

"Now why does Theodore need my hat and sunglasses?"

"Theodore has sensitive skin and he didn't want to burn while he took breakfast by the pool." Monique told him casually.

Ron exploded at this bit of news. "WHAT! THE BEAR HAS FUR… HE DOESN'T NEED MY HAT…"

Moving quickly Monique followed her husband out the back door. For an old man with bad knees she marveled at how quick he could move when he wanted to. "Now Ron…"

Ron pulled to a stop at the side of the pool. There wearing his hat and sunglasses was Theodore T. Bear. The stuffed bear had shed his yellow rain coat. He was now clad in a small pair of swim trunks, topped off with Ron's University of Miami Hurricanes ball cap and his sunglasses. Ron would have quickly relieved the bear of his things but the bear had the advantage of floating in the middle of the pool in a floating pool lounge. The lounges cup holder held a small glass of orange juice.

Theodore's facial expression was unchanged. The little pink tongue remained firmly stuck out. The bear was mocking Ron as he stood poolside glaring at the bear. "Theodore get over here…"

The bear remained where he was.

Looking around Ron quickly picked up a long handle pole and reached out to snag the floating lounge chair. "When Eaton comes back over your butt is going back in the trash bag."

"That is enough…" Monique said suddenly.

Ron turned to look at her, "The bear stole my hat and sunglasses."

"Borrowed"

"Stole…"

"Let Theodore use them today and you can get them back tonight when he's asleep." Monique suggested.

"Asleep… ASLEEP, HE'S A STUFFED BEAR…"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh… Not so loud, you know how sensitive he is."

Dropping the long pole he turned to his wife. "Are you sure you don't want to pick up Kim for me?"

"I'm sure…"

Ron put his hands on his hips and glared at the sunbathing bear. Then he turned to face his wife. "Oh did you call the contractors and tell them we changed our minds on remodeling the kitchen?"

Monique inhaled sharply, puffed out her cheeks and bugged out her eyes at him. Then she exhaled. "Fine, fine, you want me to pickup Kim, I'll pickup Kim."

Smiling with his new found victory, Ron said. "I thought you'd see it my way."

Stomping off towards the house, she grumbled. "I'll get my keys, you leave Theodore alone."

Once she had left the area, Ron turned his attention back to the stuffed bear. "You may have me vexed for now bear but there will be a reckoning. Bonnie was right about you. You are evil, EVIL..."

"…_and no trying to intimidate Theodore either. He's a house guest."_

Ron pointed two fingers at his eyes and then towards Theodore. "Both eyes bear, both eyes…"

"Alright I'm ready…"

"I can't go."

"What?"

"How can I coach without my hat and sunglasses?"

"You still have a whistle." Monique reminded him.

"That won't keep me from getting my bald head sunburned."

"Wear a different hat."

"What about my sunglasses?"

Thinking it over, Monique did the only sensible things she could think of. "When Mommy's at Marty's Club she'll buy you another pair."

"Two, one for here, one for the office."

"Fine mommy will buy you two pairs of sunglasses."

This had placated Ron, but he was still staring at the floating bear. "How can I be a coach without my hat and sunglasses?"

"You'll make do dear."

"The bear didn't even offer me a cigar."

"Maybe he's trying to quit?"

Ron mulled the possibility around in his head for a moment before deciding. "Nasty old bear."

**

* * *

  
**

Sitting in the car with her arms folded, Monique had finally calmed down. She realized she had a hatch full of luggage from Kim and was soon to have a car full of meat and two pairs of sunglasses. Angry at herself for getting mad at Kim and angry at falling for Ron's blatant extortion she fumed. "No kitchen is worth all this."

**

* * *

  
**

Shivering involuntarily as the elevator doors opened, Kim eyed the surroundings on the 7th floor. There just off to the left was the nurses' station. She wondered just why all hospitals seemed to look the same. It didn't matter where you were. The nurse's station was either just to the left of the elevators or directly ahead. A plot surely she mused. If she went back to Washington after the holiday recess she would make a mental note to see if she could arrange a senate sub-committee to investigate this.

The elevator doors began to close. Kim stepped out quickly. Her mind was fully occupied by her new idea. Yes, the sub-committee could spend hundreds of millions of tax payer's dollars. Yes, the sub-committee could subpoena all kinds of witnesses. Yes, it could take months and months to reach a conclusion. The conclusion of course being, that it's just a nifty and convenient idea.

Smirking as she realized that she could get away with it too. After all she'd never have to run for re-election. The smirk turned into a full grin as she thought just how lovely that would be for Brick Flagg's re-election campaign. Wouldn't he just love that?

"Can I help you?"

Kim jumped, momentarily startled by the woman's question. Realizing she was talking to a nurse she sheepishly answered. "Yes, yes, help…help is a good thing. It's always good to help people… I used to help people… Then I became a senator."

The nurse continued to look at her in a somewhat bemused way. "I see, and how can I help you?"

"Oh, uh… uh… Room 735?"

The nurse pointed down the hallway. "Dr. Possible's room is that way. Are you family?"

Looking down the long hallway Kim nodded her head. "Yes, I'm her daughter."

"Oh, your brothers were here this morning then they left rather abruptly." The nurse told her rather sternly.

"Oh… I see…"

"Yes, well I'm glad more of Dr. Possible's family are going to visit her. So far only her granddaughters and Coach Stoppable have seen her since she got her."

Looking at the nurse strangely, Kim asked. "My brothers didn't go in to see her?"

The woman shook her head. "No, no, they sat in the waiting room next to your mother's room for about an hour and then left."

Kim swallowed hard and looked down the long hallway. "Is there anyone with her now?"

"I think her Granddaughters are with her now."

She looked nervously down the hallway, not sure if she was ready to see her daughters just yet. "That's… good…"

The elevator door opened behind Kim and the nurse stepped inside the cab. "Well I won't keep you then."

Watching the door close, Kim forced a smile. "No… no… problem…"

The doors closed and she was alone again. She turned her attention down the hallway once again. She tried to think how long it had been since she had seen the girls. Had it been 15, 16 years? No it had been 12 years. It had been 12 years since her father had passed.

Finally it was time to go see her mom. She hoped that Annie wouldn't start a fight. She was the one that always wanted to fight. She approached room 735, she took a deep breath. Then again, she hoped Allison wouldn't scream and go running from the room at just the sight of her. She cursed herself for not staying in closer contact with daughters.

She reached the door and tentatively pushed it open. Kim poked her head in and gasped as she saw her mother laying on her back staring into space. "Mom…"

Quick movement to the right of the bed caught her attention. A brown haired woman had jumped out of her chair. She looked around the room nervously. Kim looked around the room as well. There were flowers on tables and two silver Mylar balloons that had 'Get Well Soon' printed on them. There were also pictures of Allison and Anne and their families positioned around the room.

"I…I decorated the room in case Grandma wakes up." Allison said nervously as she looked for a corner of the room that would be furthest away from her mother.

Kim stepped the rest of the way into the room. The brown haired woman was her daughter. It was Allison. She had trouble believing the woman in front of her was her daughter. Surely she wasn't old enough to have a daughter in her 30's. She tried to say something, but her mouth didn't seem to be working. Finally she was able to stammer. "It looks…great. I'm sure mom would love it."

She walked over to the opposite side of the bed and took her mother's hand. "Hi mom…"

There was no response. It was hard to believe that this woman was her mother. She was so small and frail. Her hair was much longer than she used to wear it. The red hair having long since turned gray, she just didn't look like the woman she knew to be her mother.

Allison glanced towards the door nervously. Figuring now was as good a time as any to make her getaway. "Well… I... I got to be going, and…"

"Allison…" Kim said suddenly as she looked up from her mother. "…could you do me a big favor and get me a cup of coffee. I've been on the go since 4:00 AM and I really need the pick me up."

"Oh… OK…"

Watching her daughter leave the room, she felt awful. She had noticed the desperate look in her eyes to get away from her. She had seen the look before and it cut her to the quick. Kim walked around the room and looked at the pictures that were hanging at various points around the room. Kim smiled as she looked at a family picture of Allison, her husband and her two children. Kim swallowed hard as she realized they were her grandchildren.

She reached up and touched the picture of the little boy and baby girl smiling for the camera. A tear formed in her eye as she gasped, "They're so cute…"

She pulled her hand back and turned away from the photo. This couldn't be right. She was too young to be a grandmother. She dug in her purse and pulled out a small black note book. She needed to refresh her memory. It was hard for her to remember names of people she had never met. Allison's husband's named Jorge, her son is Jorge, Jr. and her daughter is named Emily.

Grimacing as she remembered flying into Miami nearly seven years ago to stop her daughter from marrying Jorge. What an idiot she was. Fortunately Ron was there to intercept her and take the brunt end of her wrath. She rolled her eyes and chuckled softly as she thought of how many names had she called that man over the years.

She walked back over to her mother and took her hand. Trembling ever so slightly she whispered, "I'm so sorry mom, I'm so sorry. I screwed everything up so bad. I've missed you and the kids so much."

Kim couldn't help but to think back on that awful day back in 2008 when her life was drastically altered, the day when everything changed.

**

* * *

  
**

The normally tranquil setting of the Possible household was now a thing of the past. Jim Possible had just arrived with what he was told was his daughter. Although now she didn't look like the little girl he had read bedtime stories to as a small child. Gone were the long red trusses that had reminded him so much of his wife. The trusses were shorn and the red hair was now blonde.

"So anyway Eduardo said that anytime your guys are in Spain your welcome to stay at his family's castle. Isn't that great?"

Jim turned to look at his daughter as they pulled up in front of the family's doublewide mobile home in Country Club Estates. "Uh… That's great honey. How long did you say you knew this Eduardo again?"

Kim turned to face her father, her green eyes now blazed with anger. "I don't think that's really any of your business. Isn't it enough that we love each other?"

"Uh…"

"I can't wait to see Mom. She is going to be so excited when she learns I'm going to be royalty."

Jim Possible watched as Kim leapt from the car and ran to the front door of the mobile home. She was a little too scantily clad for his tastes. Then again he knew he was getting old, but did she really have to wear shorts that short? Why did she cut the long red hair that reminded him so much of his wife when she was young?

Something was wrong, he could sense. He had a suspicion but surely his daughter was smarter than that. After all she was valedictorian of her graduating class. He shook the painful thought from his mind and exited the car to follow her inside.

"_KIM, KIMBERLY ANN POSSIBLE, STOP IT THIS INSTANT."_

Picking up his pace as he heard his wife yelling at their daughter, no telling what Kim was up to inside the house. Jim walked through the door to see his daughter kicking her brother repeatedly as he lay doubled up on the floor. He had to do something to try and stop the beating Tim was taking.

"Now Kimmie Cub…"

The effort was too little too late. Kim was already gone on a rage. She was screaming at Tim as she kicked him. "I'M NOT A WHORE… I'M A FUCKING LADY, GOT THAT."

Jim tried to intercede to aid his brother. He came up behind his sister and threw a punch. Before the punch could land Kim spun grabbed Jim's arm and performed a perfect hip toss. "THOUGHT I FORGOT ABOUT YOU…"

"KIMBERLY THAT IS ENOUGH!"

Spinning on her mother so fast that Ann Possible gasped and took a quick step back to avoid a blow she was sure heading her way. Kim's green eyes seemed to glow with a unnatural rage that not only terrified Ann but had shocked Jim. He quickly stepped between them. "Now Kimmie Cub, I think you owe us some kind of explanation…"

Kim stopped turned and pointed at Tim who was struggling to his feet. "He called me a whore…"

"Well Kim you look like one with what you're wearing and those tattoos…"

"Jim, Tim… To your room… NOW!" Ann said sternly as she pointed the back of the double wide mobile home.

"Yeah, we're leaving for now." Jim took Tim by the arm and glared at Kim. "You don't know what you're messing with. You better keep your head on a swivel because we'll get even before you leave."

Kim grinned evilly and started towards her brothers. "Oh fuck this, let's go now."

"KIMBERLY"

Spinning once again to face her mother, Kim suddenly froze. "Whoa, mom… what happened to you? You look at least ten years older since the last time I saw you."

Ann was stunned. She looked to her husband. "I'm on call… Not many doctors but there are lots of medical emergencies. I...I don't get much sleep these days."

Stepping forward to close the gap between the two, Kim hugged her mother. "Mom, maybe you should just let a few more of those folks die. You really need your sleep. After all you aren't getting any younger. I mean it's bad enough, dad being as fat as he is…"

Jim was just as stunned by his daughters behavior as his wife, he desperately wanted to try and calm things down. Clearing his throat he looked at Ann, "It seems our Kimmie is engaged…"

Still reeling from Kim's behavior and hurtful words Ann reached out and tried to grasp at the good news. Maybe this had all been a bad dream and now the joy of having her daughter back home was to start. At last she thought, two childhood friends had found love together. "Ron…"

"Phhhhhhhhhhh, I so don't think so. His name is Eduardo Alfredo Carlos Micheal Filipe de Barbon, he's from Spain and he's a Duke. I'm going to be royalty. Isn't that great?" Kim squealed happily.

Ann looked at her husband for help. Jim was just as bewildered as she was. So she decided to ask the next question that needed to be asked. "Have you told Ron yet?"

Rolling her eyes Kim giggled. "Oh no, I haven't got around to it yet. Today's a good day for that. Why don't you run along and tell him for me."

Glancing over at her husband, Ann said. "I really think this is something he needs to hear from you."

For a moment both Ann and Jim braced for an explosion that they feared was coming. Kim's face turned red as she puffed out her cheeks. Then just as suddenly as the small rage came, it passed. "Fine, get him over here and I'll tell him. You need to do it quick though, I'm leaving the day after tomorrow for France."

Jim's eyes opened wide. "Leaving?"

"Honey, have you thought about what Ron's going to think of all this?" Ann asked quickly.

Kim crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Phhhhhhhhhh Ron's a boy, Ron will always be a boy, and he will think just whatever I tell him to think."

"Leaving?" Jim said again.

"Yes daddy, leaving. I'm going to work on my tan on the French Riviera." Turning suddenly she quickly pranced off for her room.

He watched his daughter disappear into her bedroom. His face was turning red as he looked at his wife. "I guess I'll just leave the luggage in the car then."

Ann was crushed as she sat down heavily on the living room couch. "Jim, what has happened to our family?"

There was no answer. Jim looked at the floor as he tried to think of something comforting to say.

"You know she's on drugs. Just look at her eyes." Ann told her husband sadly.

"I always thought she was too smart for that…"

Looking at her husband, the desperation was clear to see in her eyes. "What are we going to do?"

Jim tried to think of something positive to tell his wife. But nothing came to mind. He had no idea what had happened to their family and had no idea how to fix it. He thought it over for a moment before he answered. The only answer he could think of. "I don't think there is much we can do. Maybe if we get a hold of Ronald… Maybe he can talk to her, maybe he can get through to her?"

Ann frowned. "I'm almost too embarrassed to get in touch with him. This will just break his heart."

"He has to know Ann…"

**

* * *

  
**

Gripping her mother's hand tightly, the tears began to flow down her cheeks. Kim looked into the blank unseeing eyes of her mother and began to sob. "I'm sorry mom, I'm so sorry. I screwed everything up…."

The door to the room opened. Kim turned to see her daughter entering the room. She turned her head quickly and tried to regain her composure. All those years with Global Justice, all those years learning to control her emotions and now that training was useless. She couldn't stop herself from crying. Crying for all the death she had seen, crying for the loss of her father and now her mother. Crying for her inability to have even a small relationship with her daughters, crying for all that was lost over the years.

Allison watched her mother for a moment. She had never seen her cry. It had been years since she had seen her period. Much less see her cry. Fearing an angry outburst she quickly set the coffee down on the little table by the door. "I'll be leaving now…"

"NO…"

Her mother's answer came out as a horse plea, not an order. Allison remained rooted in her tracks.

"Don't go… I'm… I want you to stay… I'm so tired of being alone…" Kim sobbed. Her knees felt week, she quickly located a chair and sat down quickly. There was a box of Kleenex on the night stand by the bed. She quickly took one and dabbed at her eyes.

"Sorry… I don't mean to get this emotional. I mean…"

"It's alright mom…"

Finally gaining a sense of control, she fought back the tears. "I never meant to stay away as long as I did. I… I just was never able to find the time to come and see you girls or mom and dad. It was too hard… I've missed so much."

Allison found a chair on the other side of the bed. "Grandma always said that you just had so much to do. That's why you stayed away."

Laughing bitterly, Kim said. "I had so much to do, that others could of done it as well as me. The truth is I was afraid."

This was an answer that Allison was least expecting. "Afraid?"

"Yeah, afraid… Afraid of what mom or dad would say to me. I was afraid of seeing you girls, afraid of seeing how much you had changed over the years, afraid of how I'd feel when I had to leave." Kim wiped at her eyes again. "I made a lot of mistakes over the years… I did things that I was sorry for."

"You're sorry that you had me and Ann?"

"NO… no, I may have had you girls for the wrong reason. But I've never been sorry to have had you. I was a bit arrogant when I was younger. I... uh… I came here to Miami to try and patch things up with your father. It was too late. He was already married to Monique. I thought that maybe if I got pregnant too… He'd leave Monique for me…"

This revelation had stunned her daughter. "Ohhhhhhhh"

Kim chuckled sadly. "Yeah, oh… Well your daddy made it quite clear. He'd do what was right but there was no way he was going to leave Monique, and if he did… He wasn't interested in getting back together with me."

Allison smiled sheepishly. "Daddy can be rather direct at times…"

"Yeah, tell me about it. So anyway, I became upset and took off for Europe. After all I was Kim Possible and I could do anything. Once you two came along, I discovered that even though I could do anything. I couldn't do everything."

"Raising kids is tough. I don't know what I'd do if I was trying to do it single." Allison said quietly.

"Yeah, I mean… I tried to do it… But I couldn't. I had things in my past that haunted me, made it impossible." Kim said quietly.

"Oh…" Allison wasn't quite sure what to say. This was the deepest most meaningful conversation she had ever had with her mother. It was making her nervous to be sure but it was also answering some questions that she and her sister had often wondered.

"So I brought you to the only person I knew I could trust with you two, your father." Kim told her sadly.

"That's how daddy explained it too."

Kim laughed, "Yeah, well… I figured he and Monique would do a good job. He'd probably spoil you both like he did Cheyenne…"

Allison started laughing and shook her head. "No, I think he learned his lesson with Che'."

Laughing Kim nodded her head, "She was soooooooooo spoiled."

"She still is, she just hides it better."

Kim looked over towards her mother. "Your father would always send me pictures of you two. I'd shove them in a drawer. I couldn't bear to look at them. It was just too hard to see what I was missing…"

Feeling brave, Allison decided to broach the big question that had always haunted her and her sister. "Why didn't you marry daddy whenever he asked?"

"Which time?" Kim chuckled.

Looking away from her mother and towards her daughter, she could see that Allison was expecting an answer. So taking a deep breath Kim did her best to explain what happened. "Before I left for Cambridge, your father proposed. I accepted, but I kind of became side tracked and lost my way for about 5 years. I learned some big lessons and then decided to repair all the damage that I had done to the people that I loved. Does this make any sense?"

Allison nodded her head.

"Well anyway, I finally caught up to your father while he was playing in his rookie year. It had been 5 years since I had seen him last. God he was so good looking."

"Daddy?" Allison exclaimed before she started giggling.

Lifting an eyebrow, Kim said. "I wasn't the only one that thought so. Ron had lots of… admirers. The only problem was that your father was no longer the boy I knew from when we were kids. He was a man, a single father and he had a ton of businesses going. He kind of intimidated me…"

Allison laughed, "Daddy intimidated you?"

Kim frowned. "YES, he intimidated me. When I met him for the first time in New York, I was expecting to see the boy I grew up with. What I found instead was a guy who had money, knew what he wanted out of life, confident and not afraid to tell me where to go if I didn't like something he was doing."

Standing she walked over to the bed and took her mother's hand. "Your father was living in a different world. Your father was different. He and his cousin built a money making machine. It was a machine that I had no idea how I could fit. I mean… I was 24 years old… Your father had a degree, businesses, real estate, endorsements, his own cologne… I felt as though I was still in high school and woke up one day from a long nap and found the whole world had changed."

"Mom…"

"I… I was afraid to leave my job. I wanted a relationship with your father but… He wanted me in Miami and not in Europe…. I wasn't ready for that kind of commitment. I mean… he had a daughter. A readymade family… I wasn't ready for that…" Kim choked back tears as she looked into her mother's eyes.

"Mom…"

Turning to look at her daughter she quickly dabbed at her eyes. "Sorry… I kind of got to rambling."

"I have to leave now. I have to get home before Jorge has to go to work." Allison said sadly.

It was time for her daughter to leave. But Kim couldn't let her go without having her confirm her suspicion. She had noticed she had gained a bit of weight around the face. It was a slight tip off that made her suspect her daughter was pregnant. "Oh… Okay… umm… When are you due?"

Allison gasped, "Did daddy tell you?"

Chuckling Kim shook her head. Then she pointed towards her head. "Nope, world's greatest detective…"

Allison looked away. She was clearly embarrassed. "Uh… I'm due in June."

"That's wonderful honey…" Kim said grinning. The thought of another grandchild and one that she may actually see as an infant pleased her. The moment passed quickly though as she realized that her daughter had to leave.

They stared at one another for a moment, Kim finally broke the silence. "Ummm… I know… I shouldn't… Can I have a hug?"

The two women embraced, both of them crying. Kim held her daughter tightly. "I'm so sorry for never being there for you girls. You have no idea how much I've missed you and your sister over the years."

Pulling away, Allison looked into her mother's eyes. "I have to go. Annie will be here soon. I'll call her and let her know you're not going to yell at her."

Kim chuckled, "I wouldn't go that far. If she comes in with guns a blazing I won't back down."

They said their goodbyes. Kim watched Allison leave the room. She took her mother's hand. "That went well. I've been gone for too long." Kim looked towards the chair. "Mom, I'm going to sit over here and drink this coffee. I can't get over how tired I am. I hope things go this well with Annie… It'll be tough, she's too much like me."

After taking a seat she took a long swig from the coffee cup. She was disappointed that Ron hadn't picked her up. She really wanted to see him. But it was like Monique said. _"Championship game this weekend."_

She was still amazed he made a great coach. She really didn't think he had it in him. Kim realized many years ago that after their five year separation. She really didn't know much about Ron at all. So almost anything he did well was a surprise to her. She looked over at her mother and let the memories flow from when they were both little, and mom and dad had all the right answers.

Then she thought of the short time she lived with Ron during that rookie season. Thought of how driven he was, thought of all the women that were chasing after him. Thought of how small she felt in the center of the storm that was Stoppable mania.

"Mom, Ron screwed Joss…" Kim told her mother absently. Ron would definitely have some explaining to do the next time she saw him.

Smiling at her mother, she whispered. "I know mom, I probably should've quit Global Justice and stayed in Miami. Riding the Stoppable gravy train may have made for quite an adventure. Maybe I could have made him stop being so mean."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hope you enjoy the chapter. Remember write a review, receive a reply. I've been in a writing mood so hopefully you'll be seeing more out of me. Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Bubba  
**

* * *

Stopping by a local Chinese restaurant, Ron grabbed lunch for himself as well as Kim. He hoped she would still be in a cooperative mood. He hated her screaming at him. Stepping off the elevator he waived to the nurse's station. "Just heading down to 735."

"Alright Mr. Stoppable."

Walking past the nurse he walked down the hall. He was hoping that Jim and Tim wouldn't be around. He wasn't in a mood to drop the food he was carrying and beating those two to death. He opened the door and saw Kim sitting next to her mother's bed holding her hand. He let out a small sigh of relief as he realized that she was alone. He knocked on the door as he stuck his head in the room. "…bad time?"

Kim smiled wearily and stood up. "No… no…"

Holding up a brown paper bag, he said. "I thought you could use some lunch."

Crossing the room, Kim hugged her old friend. "You look… good."

Ron laughed. She was trying to sound sincere but she didn't quite make it. "No I don't. I look like a fat old man with a sun burned head."

Laughing Kim took the bag from him. "Well, you don't look like you did when you were 18 but… You still look good."

"For a man of my advanced years." Ron said with a grin.

"No…"

"You look great." He told her.

"It's the Yoga."

"I wasn't sure what you like so I got you some cashew chicken…"

"That's fine."

Walking over to Ann, he took her hand. "See who we got here today? Kim's here to see you isn't that great Ann?"

Digging out a fork and opening one of the cardboard containers she glanced up. "The doctor was in earlier. Not much hope for any kind of recovery. The lights are on but nobodies home."

Ron glanced up. "She knows you're here."

Kim sighed, "I'd like to think so."

Walking over to where the food was, Ron dug out his food. "Beef broccoli for me…"

"Monique says you slept with Joss."

Her statement brought Ron to a complete stop. "Now I wonder how that topic came up."

"I called Joss and told her about Mom's condition. She'll be in town tomorrow." Kim told him as she tried to keep her voice as calm and unemotional as possible.

Glancing over at Ann Possible, Ron said calmly. "This is not the time or the place for this. As far as Joss goes you just keep her away from me and keep her away from Monique."

"Fine…"

Turning his attention to the decorations, Ron smiled. "Allison was here this morning I see."

"Yes… yes she was." Kim said evenly.

"You didn't upset her did you?"

"NO, and it might have been nice if you had told me she was pregnant." Kim spat bitterly.

Ron could sense Kim was getting wound up. He desperately didn't want to have a fight with her. Not here, not in front of a dying Ann. "She asked me not to."

"So you didn't…"

"Yep"

"Why, why would you keep something like this from me?" Kim said angrily.

This visit was clearly not going the way he wanted it to. He stirred the food around in the card board box for a moment and then he decided to lay it all out there for her. "Because my relationship with my girls is more important to me than my relationship with you."

"Oh" Kim reflexively replied in a slightly unsteady voice.

Deciding it was time for a change in the conversation. He leaned over Ann's bed. Her blue eyes were still the deepest blue he had ever seen Even late in life her eye color was still vibrant and alive. "You know, I keep thinking back to when we were kids…"

Kim sighed. "I don't… I just keep thinking about how things went so wrong for us. My brother's and me… I mean…"

Ron nodded his head. "Try to remember the good times it makes things easier."

"I guess…" Kim said unsteadily.

"I remember your mom taking us to the mall to see a movie. I can't remember the name of it. It had ants and bugs and stuff. God, we couldn't have been more than 7 or 8 at time." Ron said chuckling.

"Bug's Life? You were scared of the fat caterpillar." Kim said chuckling at the memory.

Shaking his head, Ron said. "I don't remember that part."

"Oh yeah, you were such a big wuss back then."

"Hmmmmm…"

Kim stood up and moved closer to her mother's bed. "You know that's the first time you've hugged me in over 25 years…"

"You weren't a real huggable person."

"…and you haven't called me KP… since high school." Kim said, her voice cracking with emotion.

Ron stirred his food around some more with his plastic fork. "I never realized that. Don't really have a reason for that."

Noticing Ron's obvious discomfort, she decided it was time to change the subject. "You've got a really sunburned head."

Ron laughed, "Theodor stole my hat. He was wearing it while he floated around the pool on one of those floating lounge chairs."

"Theodore?"

"There's this writer named Eaton Trendle that's been coming by the house of late. He's Tara's son and he's writing a book and doing research into what happened in Middleton back in the day."

Kim nodded her head. "Tara, now there's a name I haven't heard in years."

"Yeah, he brought over Theodore. Monique and Myracle have had fun moving him all over the house. I came home the other night and he was propped up in my Lazy Boy watching American Star Maker reruns on TV."

Laughing Kim said, "That was his favorite show."

"Yep, he was all decked out with a sifter of brandy and cigar."

The two shared a laugh. Then Kim asked the question that Ron had been waiting for. "So how is Tara these days?"

"Well Kim, Tara's dead?"

"Oh… She get sick?"

"She got herself murdered. About the same time my family fled the state."

Kim was silent for a moment as she processed the information. She frowned at Ron, "You didn't come over here to see me. You came over here to get me to look into Tara's murder."

Shrugging sheepishly, Ron said. "Well I came to see you…mostly."

Laughing bitterly, Kim reminded him. "I'm retired. I've been out of the game now for 7 years."

Now it was Ron's turn to remind her of something. "You were the best in the business."

"It's been over 30 years since Tara died…"

"If anyone can solve it, it's you."

Crossing her arms, she looked towards her mother. "What if it's already been solved?"

"Well that means justice was served."

"What if it's not been solved?"

"We solve it."

Narrowing her eyes, Kim wanted to make sure she heard him right. "We?"

"We"

Kim screwed up her face as she ran different scenarios through her head. "Are you sure this man is who he says he is?"

Ron looked up from his food. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean… You've always been way too trusting."

Laughing Ron shook his head. "Look who's talking…"

Holding up a hand to keep Ron from opening old wounds, she asked once again. "How do you know this Eaton person is Tara's son?"

"He's got a birth certificate…"

"Those can be faked."

"It was signed by your mother."

This revelation surprised her. "Mom?"

"Anne delivered a lot of babies back then."

Kim turned back to her mother and wiped a tear from her eye. "Yeah, I remember."

"The Senate is on recess for the holidays…" He reminded her.

"I didn't say I was going to do this."

Sighing, Ron reminded her. "Kim, we're talking about Tara."

"What else is there to identify this man other than a birth certificate?"

"He has Theodore."

She shook her head and laughed. "Ron you can get that stuffed bear…"

"The bear's blood stained. Tara's blood is all over the back of the bears head."

This bit of news put the conversation in a new light. It also peaked Kim's detective instinct. "What else do you know about this?"

Ron spread his hands. "Not much, just the bear was found underneath Tara's body. She was in the middle of a field. I think Eaton said she was beaten to death."

Kim shivered involuntarily. "Raped?"

"Don't know…"

Shaking her head, Kim mulled the possibilities through her mind. "Was there a police report? You of all people know a lot of stuff went off the books back then."

He gritted his teeth. Kim had delicately touched a sore spot with him. He was grateful she put as delicately as she did. "I don't know."

Sighing, Kim asked the big question. "If we are able to do this… If the murder is unsolved… What do you want to do about it?"

Ron's voice was low and full of conviction. It was a voice Kim knew that meant business. "We handle it…"

"What do you mean we handle…"

"Off the books…"

Kim didn't have to ask again. She knew what Ron was wanting. Whoever killed Tara, if they were still alive, if the case could be worked, the police would be kept out of it. The case would be handled by the two of them. They would find Tara's killer, and kill him. "You sure you want to do this?"

"We're talking about Tara. This one hits kind of close to home."

Chuckling Kim decided to test Ron's resolve. "All this because she had a crush on you when you were 16?"

"Tara was a sweet little girl, who did not deserve to die like she did."

Kim sighed. "No she didn't. Once things have played out with mom, I'll make sometime and talk to this Eaton man."

"OK"

Taking her mother's hand. Kim gazed into her eyes and asked Ron one of those deep questions that she hated to think about. Unfortunately on the verge of losing her last parent it was a question that was nagging her and she just had to talk it over with someone. "Ron, you ever think about dying?"

Swallowing a mouthful of beef and broccoli, he said. "Oh let's see. My dad died of a heart attack when he was 58, my mom of cancer when she was 68. I played in the NFL so I subtract 10 years off my life for that. I've coached for over 20 years now, take another 10 off of that and I figure I'm living on borrowed time."

"No, I'm serious."

Ron looked her in the eye to let her know he was serious. "So am I."

"You know they got that gene therapy. They're talking about people living to be over 200 years old…"

Screwing up his face to show his disgust, he let her know his thoughts on this. "Ewww… Count me out. Imagine having to work from the time your 16 till you're what… 160? No thanks. Monique and I talked it over when they first started talking about that stuff. We're going to let nature take its course."

Kim shivered. "Oh… You know I don't believe in God anymore, haven't for a number of years. Once you die, that's it. I try to imagine mom and dad together in some kind of paradise… but I just can't."

Setting the little box of Chinese food aside, he turned his full attention to his old friend. "Well I was on the other side a few times after I was shot in Hawaii. I don't know if it was paradise or not, but it wasn't bad."

She shook her head. "No, you were still on the ground. That was just your brain functions shutting down."

"Well I'm not afraid of the great beyond. I'm more afraid of what happens to Monique if I go first. Who will take care of her? Or worse yet what will happen to me if she goes before me. I think I'd be one of those old men that die within a year of the wife."

She turned her gaze away from him. The whole thought of dying terrified her. "I… I think I might have it done… the gene therapy."

Ron sighed, "Well… I hope you know what you're doing."

"I'm scared of dying."

He took in what she had just told him. He could tell she had given this a lot of thought. If she had her mind made up that that was that. He decided he was going to give her his view on things. She might like or she might not. It might make her mad, but she had been mad at him before. "Everybody dies Kim. They can do this gene therapy and you might live a few years longer. Or you may be hit by a truck tomorrow. Who's to say? You can run from it, but it will catch you in the end."

Kim mulled this over in her mind for a few moments and then said. "If the girls didn't get the gene therapy then I would outlive them."

"Maybe the grandkids too."

"I don't think I'd like that." She said sadly.

"Yeah, I don't even want to think about going before any of the kids."

It was time to lighten the mood a bit. Kim was tired of thinking about death. "So what have you got to do for the rest of the day?"

Ron chuckled. "I have to get back to the University. I have to try to figure out a way to motivate these kids for Saturday. It's like they expect Clemson to just hand them the game."

"Practice not going well?"

"Noooooooooo, flat, very flat…"

"Monique says Block's in town."

"Oh yeah, going to show him my gutters. I had to hang new gutters on the house about 12 years ago. I don't think he's been over since I put 'em up?" Ron said as he tried to remember the last time that Block had been to visit.

"Something wrong with the old gutters?"

"Well I kind of took a tumble off the roof. One minute I was hanging Christmas lights the next minute I'm hanging on the guttering. Gutter gives way and then I'm in the pool. Scared Monique and the girls half to death."

Something didn't sound quite right to Kim. "Ron, it's over 100 feet from the house to the pool. How did you end up in the pool?"

Ron shrugged. "I dunno… I'm just glad I ended up in the pool. If I would have hit the concrete it would have killed me."

Kim thought about it for a few moments and then shrugged. Ron had always been lucky like that. "You know Brick still complains about Block making it to the NFL."

"Well if Brick wouldn't of been a big soft load, and if he could have thrown the ball further than 30 yards… You know he may have made a decent tight end."

"I don't care. I hate football."

The two shared another laugh before Ron stood up to leave. "I have to go. You going to be over tonight?"

She looked at her mother and shook her head. "No, I think I'll stay with mom till the end. Doctor says anytime now."

"Right, Annie should be here soon."

Kim chuckled sadly, "Thanks for the heads up."

"Oh it shouldn't be too bad…" Ron said, trying to sound reassuring.

"I hope not. I just wish…things could have been different." She said, her voice sounding tired to his ears.

"Yeah"

It was time for him to leave. He felt awkward. He felt as if he should say more but he couldn't think of anything else to say. "So, I guess I'll be leaving then."

Smiling Kim nodded her head. "It was good seeing you."

"Yeah" He said woodenly as he came and wrapped her in another hug.

She held him tightly again and the released the hug. "Have fun talking guy stuff with Block tonight."

Chuckling Ron turned and headed for the door. "Oh I'm sure I will. I just hope Block doesn't trot out too many old college stories. They always get Monique worked up."

"She's already worked up." Kim reminded him.

"Well, it'll be one of those nights then… Bye Ann." Ron said as he waved from the door.

Kim waved feebly as she watched Ron's figure disappear out the door. She was alone again. She glanced over at her mother. "You see how fat Ron's gotten?"

She chuckled at the thought of what her mother would say. Ron was no heavier than her dad was when he reached middle age. It was just so strange for her to think of Ron getting older. They were both nearing 60, but she didn't feel old.

Glancing up, Kim walked over beside her mother's bed. "Well mom, it looks like Ron wants one more adventure."

She turned and opened the blinds on the window. Some sunlight in the room might make things feel more cheery. She thought about going out one more time on a mission with Ron. She knew he meant business about finding out who killed Tara. She also knew he meant business about sending whoever did it to the great beyond.

For all of Ron's legitimate business and charitable foundations, she knew that behind that mask of respectability lay a much darker side to her old friend's nature. A dark side that she had only run across a few times in the years they had been separated.

**

* * *

**

Mike McMillian and Kim Possible stood on a street corner in New York City. Kim had a noon appointment with the new head of the Masella organized crime family. This was the third head in as many days.

The case she was on was simple. Find the former Mrs. Blamhammer and her son and report back to her client Jerry Blamhammer. Somehow the cases that Kim took that appeared to be easy were very seldom that.

Kim tracked the famous movie director's ex-wife to Connecticut where she had built a new life for herself and her family. Seeking to escape the Hollywood lifestyle she had changed her name and took a job as a branch manager of New Era Credit Union. The business was a small teacher's credit union, which also laundered money for the mob.

The Ex-Mrs. Blamhammer wanted nothing to do with Jerry Blamhammer and had even refused to see her ex-husband. Kim shrugged and returned to her hotel to call her client and report that she had found his ex-wife and son. She did what she was hired to do, now it was time to go home and get paid.

At the hotel she was accosted by three members of the Masella family and after a mild fist fight the men left hurriedly after they gave her the message to leave Camella Marcus alone. This changed the landscape of the case all together. Instead of calling Jerry Blamhammer, she called in Bonnie Rockwaller's husband Mike McMillian for a bit of added muscle.

One thing led to another and before she could stop him, Jerry Blamhammer stampeded into the scene and screwed everything up. Not only had he destroyed Kim's delicate negotiations, he had managed to get a very close friend of hers killed.

Finally Kim had met with the Patriarch of the Mesella crime family Vito Mesella. The elder Mesella agreed to let the woman and child go in exchange for their silence and the aid in placing another mob approved person within the credit union to replace Camella with the person of their choice.

The next morning as Kim was returning to Connecticut only to learn from Wade that Vito Mesella's crazed son Joey had killed his father early that morning and was headed her way with three vehicles full of soldiers to kill them all.

Arriving just ahead of Joey Mesella, Kim and Mike quickly evacuated Blamhammer, his ex-wife and son to an abandoned airfield only to find the Masella's waiting for them. Joey Masella and eleven other made men tried to force the group into the open so they could be slaughtered.

After ensuring that Blamhammer and his estranged family were safe, Kim and Mike systematically hunted down and killed the hit team. Most notable in the battle was when Kim had shot the infamous Sicilian gunman Salvatore Amari before putting a round through Joey Masella's eye socket thus ending his life and short reign of the crime family.

Now a day later they stood on a street corner waiting for a meeting with the new head of the crime family. Angelo Masella, Vito's brother and Joey's uncle was now the new head of the family. He had contacted Wade and set up the meeting.

It was a chilly October day, gray and overcast. Nervous, Kim had finally decided to strike up a conversation with Mike. "So do you think if this meeting was held at midnight instead of noon, do you think you would be afraid?"

Mike looked up the street and weighed the question carefully. The large man was a man of few words. Kim wished she could see his eyes behind the sunglasses to try to gauge his reaction. Finally after what seemed like forever, he finally answered. "I am capable of great violence."

The voice was quiet and no nonsense, direct and to the point. Kim chuckled at the response. "Yeah, I've noticed that about you. Let me rephrase the question. If you were a girl and had to go to this meeting at midnight instead of noon… do you think you would be afraid?"

He thought the question over again. "I was afraid once… I found it inconvenient."

Kim spotted the limousine coming up the street. "I think they're coming."

"I've got your back." Mike said as he disappeared into the street traffic.

The limo finally made its way through the lunch hour traffic to where Kim was standing. The car pulled to a stop. The front passenger door opened. A large man stepped out and opened the rear door for Kim. Taking a deep breath she climbed inside.

Angelo Masella flanked by two large body guards held out a bandaged hand. "You've caused us quite a problem over the last few days."

Smiling weakly, Kim took the hand. "Well… We thought we had a deal."

She glanced to her left as the man in the front seat closed the door. Kim dearly hoped the car would not pull away from the curb. If it did Mike would kill the driver and the man in the front seat. Kim would have to do her best with the three men in the back. Much to her relief the car remained parked.

The old man chewed on a large cigar as he sized Kim up. "You know I woke up this morning and thought, Fuck it, let's cut our losses and just kill this bitch, the movie star and his family. We were going to take you out to one of our salvage yards in Jersey, put a bullet in your brain and stuff you in the back of a Buick."

Kim glanced around nervously for Mike. "Oh…"

"Yeah, then I get this phone call. You know who it was?" The old man asked.

Shaking her head as she began to plot an exit strategy, she said. "No"

"Some Jew from Miami, says I need to honor my deal with you guys. Says he has some casino interests in Cuba he can let me have on the cheap."

A cold chill ran up Kim's spine. _"RON"_

"I tell him to fuck off. I tell him I ain't got no interest in casinos in Cuba. He says a representative from his company will be over shortly to discuss the details. You know what he does then? You want to know?"

Things were starting to get out of hand. Kim was trying to figure out how Ron could have found out about what was going on in New York. She could come up with only one explanation, Wade. Kim cleared her throat before asking nervously. "What did he do?"

The old man took the cigar from his mouth and motioned at her. "He fuckin' hung up on me. Nobody hangs up on Angelo Masella."

Glancing around to try and spot Mike, she was starting to feel horribly exposed. She was beginning to feel nauseous. "Oh…"

"Half hour later this leggy brunette shows up."

Now she was beginning to feel downright sick to her stomach. She didn't have to guess who the brunette was. _"SHEGO"_

"Mouthy bitch, easy on the eyes… Anyway she strongly suggests that I accept this Jew's generous offer. I tell her to go fuck herself." The old man said angrily.

"Uh oh…" Kim muttered under her breath.

"So she thanks me for my time and she holds out both her hands." The new head of the Masella crime family held up two heavily bandaged hands. "I go to shake hands and the fuckin' bitch burns me. Fuckin' second degree burns, and thanks to you… My security staff isn't what it should be. So this bitch just walks away."

"Oh" Kim said woodenly as she eyed the two burly men on each side of Angelo. Neither was making a move for their gun. So far this was a good thing.

"Fuckin' bitch is crazy."

"Uh huh…" Kim mumbled.

The old man leaned forward and pointed his index finger in Kim's face. "So this is what we're going to do. We're going to honor our original agreement with you."

"That's, that's good…" Kim replied slightly relieved.

"Now when I get back to the house, I'm putting a contract out on that Jew and the crazy bitch." Angelo finished what he had to say and sat up straight in his seat.

Dangerous ideas were floating through Kim's mind. She was mentally gauging the likely hood of her surviving close quarters combat with four really large men and one old psychopath. Angelo's voice cut through the thoughts.

"This meeting is over. Now get out."

Not having to be told a second time. Kim quickly exited the vehicle. She walked away towards where she hoped Mike would be. She had to work fast if she was going to save Ron from whoever the crazy old man would hire to kill him.

"Everything go alright."

Startled Kim spun around to see Mike's expressionless face taking her in. "Yes, yes, Now…"

She wasn't able to finish her thought as an explosion rocked the street. Kim looked quickly to source of the explosion. It was Angelo Masella's limousine. The car had only travelled a block before it exploded. Kim saw the car was in flames as two more green balls of plasma impacted the large car igniting the vehicle's gas tank. The car rose nearly three feet into the air from the force of the exploding tank.

The front passenger door opened and a man fell to the street on fire. Kim looked around quickly to try and figure out where Shego had placed herself. She gave up as panicked pedestrians scurried about taking cover from the apparent mob hit.

"Couldn't of happened to nicer people." Mike said evenly.

"Yeah…" Kim mumbled. She no longer had to warn Ron. He and Shego hit the Marsella family before they could hit him. She quickly reasoned.

**

* * *

**

"I guess Ron wants to get his hands dirty one last time." Kim said to her mother. She took her mother's hand once again. She pushed thoughts of Ron's shadier side out of her mind. She decided to take his advice and try to remember a pleasant memory from when they were kids. After what seemed like forever and memory surfaced. Kim chuckled happily at the memory.

"What's so funny?"

She was so deep in thought she didn't notice Annie come into the room. Kim felt awkward as she looked over her daughter. "Uh…oh…Your father was in earlier. He said to try and remember times from when we were a kid. He said it would make things easier."

Annie snorted, "Somehow I just can't imagine you as a kid."

Kim looked back to her mother. She decided to let her daughter's snarky remark pass. "Allison was here this morning."

"I know, she called, said you were sane these days."

Frowning, Kim didn't respond to the comment. "So…uh…I hear my brothers were here earlier."

Laughing bitterly, Annie told her about their meeting. "Yeah, they were here. They were more interested in seeing you and finding out what kind of inheritance they were going to get."

Smirking, Kim grumbled. "Lovely."

"Then they started getting nasty with Allison. So I left the waiting room and came back after a few minutes. Told them Daddy was on the way to discuss inheritances. They decided they'd see you later."

Chuckling, Kim nodded her head. "That was good thinking. All these years and I'm still surprised your father hasn't killed those two."

"So did it make it easier?" Annie asked.

"What?"

Reframing the question, Annie asked again. "Thinking about when you and daddy were kids?"

"Oh yeah, your father was so sweet and innocent and mom… She knew everything." Kim said wistfully.

"So what was the memory?"

Looking her daughter over, she was grateful for the change in tone. She was starting to feel her age now. She was tired and desperately didn't want a fight with her daughter. Smiling as she dredged up the old memory. "Oh this goes back to when your father and I were sophomores in High School. Seems like a million years ago now."

**

* * *

**

The familiar jingle buzzed on the Kimmunicator. In a flash Kim was answering the device. "What's the sitch Wade?"

The young African American boy's face appeared on the small screen of the device. _"Hey Kim, Drakken and Shego are headed to the Middleton Institute of Technology."_

"Going there for some refresher courses?" Kim snorted.

"_No they're headed there to steal the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator."_

Kim frowned, "So they're going after the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator. We have to stop them."

"_I'm arraigning your ride now."_

"Great call me when it's on the way." She said as she ended the call.

Kim reached over picked up the receiver of the house phone. She quickly dialed Ron's number. The phone rang once, twice and then on the third ring, Ron answered. _"HEY KIM, GUESS WHAT?"_

"Ron, Drakken and Shego…"

"_NO, no, that's not it. Timothy North..."_

"Timothy North?"

"_Yeah, Timothy North, He sent me this great phone for spreading a little Ronshine with the Sunshine Spreaders."_ Ron explained happily.

Covering the mouth piece of the phone, Kim groaned. "Oh noooooooooo…"

"_This is the coolest phone ever. It's shaped like the Ferret Mobile."_

"That's…interesting. Now about Drakken…"

Ron would not be distracted. He was happily enjoying his new present from the elderly star of the 1960's television show The Fearless Ferret. Earlier in the month Ron took it upon himself to pick up the mantle and carry on the work of confused actor Timothy North.

To show his gratitude for Ron's help, he sent him a super deluxe home phone for a gift. Ron was naturally overjoyed by the snazzy new gift. _"Kim, Kim there's buttons on this phone. CHECK IT OUT!"_

"RON"

A gravelly voice came over the line. The voice didn't sound like Ron or Timothy North. _"Kim, this is the Fearless Ferret."_

Kim was quickly becoming exasperated. "RON"

"_I sound just like him don't I? Hey want to talk to Wonder Weasel?" _

She heard the phone being passed to Rufus. She could hear Ron in the background. _"No wait till I push the Weasel button."_

"Ron…"

A new higher pitched gravelly voice came over the line. _"Hnk…Hello…"_

Her shoulders slumped. She was rapidly losing her patience with her best friend. "RON"

"_I bet you couldn't tell that was Rufus. Man, this phone is the coolest. I want to call people."_ Ron said excitedly.

Frowning Kim could just imagine her best friend happily prancing around the room as he played with his latest toy. She shook the disturbing image from his mind, there was a mission to be performed. "Ron… Drakken and Shego…"

"_Drakken and Shego? Yeah, I could call them but I don't their phone numbers. OH HEY, I could push the button and frighten them into giving up their life of crime."_ He said excitedly. Pressing the button on the phone he did his best to sound menacing.

"_Drakken and Shego, stop your fiendish plot. For the Fearless Ferret always foils fiendish plots."_

Rolling her eyes, Kim replied. "Oh yeah, that will send em' running. Now about the mission…"

"_Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. I have to call people now. "_ "Click" Ron hung up the phone to call all of his friends.

Kim turned to her mother, in desperation. "MOM, Ron got a new phone from Timothy North and now all he wants to do is call people and pretend to be the Fearless Ferret."

Ann Possible took in the information before dispensing her wise advice. "Well honey, Ron lives just up the street. Why don't you just walk up there and admire his phone? Tell him you wish you had one just like it."

Shaking her head vigorously, Kim quickly explained. "I can't do that. You know how he is. He'd give me the phone."

Now it was Ann's turn to frown. Having a telephone in the household shaped like the Ferret Mobile was not exactly what she had envisioned for household telephone usage. "Well in that case Kimmie, tell him the phone is very nice."

Throwing up her hands in defeat, Kim turned to walk out the door. "I'm headed to Ron's."

Chuckling Ann followed her daughter to the door. "Have fun visiting the Ferret Hole."

"Aughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

**

* * *

**

The two women shared a good laugh. When the moment had passed, Kim had the urge to hug her daughter. But Annie was always so difficult to read. So she fought off the urge. Kim smiled at her instead. "That seems like a million years ago now."

Annie smiled. "I can't see Dad going gaga over a phone like that."

"He was very proud of that phone. He had it right up to the day…" Kim let the sentence trail off.

Annie understood. She had seen her father do the same thing. It only happened when he would talk about the days back in Middleton. He would start to talk about something and then never finish the thought. The subject being too painful to remember, he would just change the subject.

"So Dad was kind of a dork then?"

Frowning Kim sat up straight in her seat. It was an old habit she got into when they were kids. She was far too used to having to defend her friend. "You father was never a dork. He was always so sweet. He was a lot of fun to be around." Kim fought back a tear. "He was always so sweet before life made him mean."

Her mother's defense of her father surprised her. Then again she was always surprised whenever her father would defend her mother. She realized that they were so close for so many years in their youth that having each other's back was a force of habit. She decided it was time to change the subject.

"Daddy mean, oh come on."

Kim let out a deep breath before chuckling. "Annie, I've got stories about your daddy that would curl your hair. Your father was quite the peach when he came here to play football."

Laughing, Annie said. "I hear enough about Daddy's wild side from Monique."

"Yeah well she'd know all about that. Sitting there in the Stoppable household just waiting to pounce." Kim said bitterly.

It was impossible not to notice her mother's change of mood. "I don't want to go there. You had your chance and you blew it."

Crossing her arms, Kim looked out the window. It was growing dark now. "Yeah, I blew it."

Annie could see she was coming dangerously close to an argument with her mother. She could also see that her mother was fighting the urge to argue so she decided to let it pass. However her curiosity was peaked. "So tell me how mean Daddy could be."

Smirking, Kim said. "I don't know if you could handle it. You've spent years and years hating me. So anything I say, you'll just take for granted is a lie."

"Oh, so you don't think I've got a mind of my own." Annie shot back.

She didn't respond for a moment. She read her daughter. Did she really want to know what it was like for her back when Ron was playing football? Or did she just want more ammunition to feed a lifelong grudge. Kim made her decision. "Well if you really want to know what how your daddy was in the height of Stoppable Mania, I'll tell you."


End file.
